Streets Of New York
by candysteffi
Summary: Two rival gangs in New York City and a forbidden developing relationship between  antagonists.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Streets of New York

**Author:** candysteffi

**Disclaimer:** The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.

**Rating:** Adult, for bad language and sex

**Category:** AU without Aliens, mostly M&M, with a little bit M&L and CC at the beginning, Maria POV

**Summary:** Just read the little text at the banner, that´s all you have to know.

**Author´s note:** Streets of New York is the first story I ever wrote. I posted it at a German board 4 or 5 years ago.

Thanks to _**Angel:**_ because she is my wounderful beta reader, *hugs*. 

**Introduction:**

**The Hurricans: ****  
><strong>  
>The Hurricans are a gang in New York. They hang around the skate park almost every day and love to party at the 'Election' - a club - at night. That's also the place where they often get into trouble with the Bandits.<p>

Billy (20):  
><span>  
>The head of the gang, everybody knows him as a bad-ass, inexorable and careless guy. Billy doesn´t care about anyone.<p>

Maria (17):  
><span>  
>Billy's girlfriend, or more precisely, his girl-toy! She lives with her mother in a small flat and attends the high school.<p>

Sean (19):

Maria's cousin and Billy's best friend; he remains steadfastly at his side, no matter what´s going on.

Brody (20):

A smart guy and the quietest member of the gang.

Ryan (21):  
><span>  
>Not much a talker, but he´s strong and prefers to "communicate" with his fists.<p>

Ava (17):

Ava is withdrawn into herself. She doesn´t tell anyone anything about her life. She attends the high school with Maria.

**The Bandits:**

Max (20):  
><span>  
>Together with Rath, he calls the shots in the gang and hates Billy and his followers. He found his true love a few years ago: Liz!<p>

Rath (20):

His real name is Michael. He´s a tall and strong guy and everyone is in awe when he shows up. He´s also the kind of guy that's in high demand where women are concerned, but he doesn´t pay much attention to it.

Lonnie (18):

She grew up with Max and Michael and is the only one of them who still attends high school. She won´t allow herself to get weak or emotional.

Kyle (18):

He still attends the high school, too. He´s very loyal to his gang and hates the Hurricanes passionately.

Liz (19):

She's Max's girlfriend and gave up everything for him.

Alex (19):

Alex is only a member of the Bandits to protect his best friend Liz. He's always in the background when a fight with the Hurricanes comes up.

**Prologue**

New York - for most people a city full of dreams, but for others it's a nightmare.

You think about 'The Big Apple', Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, high skyscrapers, and a city teeming with life, when you hear those two simple words: New York, right? You're fascinated by the many flashing advertisements and lights in the streets.

But you don't notice what happens in the dark corners and what's going on in the shadows of the high buildings.

***

It's not easy to grow up in NY, especially not in the Bronx.

I still go to school - senior year at high school, but I don't think I will wear a cap and gown at least. I'm not stupid or lazy, but I don't have the time to learn - nobody has it.

I don't know my father, I've never even seen him. Therefore, that means lots of lovers for my mom. George is the name of her newest bimbo. I hate him, just like I hate this city.

There are days that I don't go home. I'd rather hang out outside the whole night, before I have to watch my mom getting drunk again.

Sometimes I sleep at the apartment that belongs to my boyfriend Billy. He's not my real love, I don't enjoy sleeping with him, oh hell, I don't even like talking to him, and of course I never would say that I love him. But he's someone I can hang out with to escape from my fucking home.

My cousin Sean introduced Billy and me at a club last year. Billy was really nice to me that night. Today I know it was only to get in my pants. But from that date forward I'm a member of his gang called 'The Hurricanes' and things started to get really weird.

I never wanted to be in a street gang, but these people: Billy, Sean, Brody, Ryan and Ava, they are the only friends I've ever had. And so I hang out with them, I'm forced to have the same interests that they have and I get into trouble with them, especially when we meet the 'Bandits'.

My name is Maria DeLuca and my life really sucks...

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 1**

**What a crappy day...  
>October 29th, 2007 – Monday – 7:00 am<strong>

I take my alarm clock and throw it at the wall.

"Five more minutes," I mumble into the pillow.

It's Monday morning and I'm really pissed that I already have to stand up. I just went to bed three hours ago, because I was out with the others.

Unwillingly I lift my blanket.

"Shit! It's damn cold!" I hiss when my bare feet touch the floor.

Within seconds I get into my pants and hoodie. After my mom hadn't paid the bill they shut off the gas. It's almost winter and I'm sure I'll soon freeze to death while I'm sleeping.

As I trod through the kitchen to get in the bathroom I almost fall over an empty bottle of vodka. My mom stands in the door holding her head, her expression more of a grimace.

"W… what time is it?" she croaks.

"Time to get new junk!" I yell, holding the bottle right in her face. Without waiting for a response, I run into the bath and slam the door.

I haven't showered for two days, because the water is to friggin' cold. So I only wash my face and brush my teeth.

***

Half an hour later...

I'm already out of the flat. Fortunately, I didn't see my mother a second time. She was either asleep again, or she had actually bought more alcohol – for this she always has money.

I quicken the pace because I'm too late as usual. The last meters I even have to run to get to my subway.

I'm totally out of breath when the subway starts to move. The cabin is crowded like every morning, so I clutch onto a staff and wish for time to pass by quickly. It smells like sweat, smoke and other disgusting stuff. I feel sick like every morning.

***

I arrive at school 15 minutes late, but the teacher doesn't seem to mind – I'm not the only one and at least I'm here at all.

"Well, well! The little Hurricane-trash appeared," Lonnie hisses and looks at me with a calculating gaze while I go to my place to sit down.

I really hate that girl. She's one of the Bandits – and definitely one of the worst. So I overhear her little comment and stay quiet. I'm not angry at all, because I talk about her and the others in the same way. Maybe she has to be so thuggish because everybody expects it from her.

The lesson passes by and I think nobody actually paid attention to the teacher. Some of the students are scratching at their books, and some of the others are listening to music.

***

At lunch break I meet Ava.

"Hey!" I drop down next to her and put my tray with food at the table.

"Hi," she responds without looking up.

We aren't really close, but she's the only friend I have at school. Ava never talks about anything private or really important to me, she's always so withdrawn into herself. I gave up getting to know her better a long time ago.

"We're going to the skater place after school, you in?" she asks casually.

"Sure. Anything is better than going home," I answer coolly. I won't touch my food anyway.

Lonnie and Kyle are making their way towards our table. I tense up a little bit – they won't just pass by for sure.

"Look, who's here..." Kyle builds himself up in front of me, his posture threatening. He terrorizes me whenever he gets the chance to.

He takes my food from the tray, throws it on the ground and tramples on it. Then he grabs my arm, clutching it tightly. It hurts but I won't give him the satisfaction of showing him any emotion.

"Listen, DeLuca. I have a little message for Billy: Stay away from the Election (club in NY), or else we'll hurt your little girlfriend." He looks at me forcefully, then he takes his hand away from my arm and he disappears with a grinning Lonnie.

I relax gradually and take a long, deep breath. Will that shit end one day?

***

After school…

Billy stands at the entry waiting for me.

"Hey, Babe!" He snatches me to him and presses his lips onto my own.

I don't care about the kiss, but at least I feel a little bit safer now. He's a strong guy and knows how to defend himself.

Brody, Sean and Ryan are there, too. We wait together until Ava appears.

***

We got to the skater park an hour ago. It's not too far from the school and we're there alone most of the time.

The guys try to outmatch each other with some hazardous stunts while the ghetto blaster plays one hip hop song after another.

Billy is always the riskiest with his skateboard – it's his nature; he always wants to be the king. Of course, Sean, Ryan and Brody pat his back, they sing from the treetops. I really can't imagine why they suck up to him day after day.

***

We leave the place at dusk.

"Babe, you're coming with me?" Billy murmurs in my ear.

I nod, seeing a chance to shower finally.

An uneasy feeling overcomes me as we approach the basketball court – the territory belonging to the Bandits. A lot of arguments and fights had happened there in the past.

Secretly I hope that they won't be there today, and my hands get sweatier with each step.

Of course we don't have luck on our side. I already hear their voices and laughter from a distance. Suddenly they stop playing as they also recognize us. They line up in front of us.

Max takes a step forward.

"What do you want? Haven't I told you like thousand times to not show up here anymore? You have no place here!" he snaps coldly and crosses his arms.

Billy also takes a step forward.

"It's not your place, Bandits!" he counters and spits directly in front of Max' feet to underline his disgust.

Kyle steps up beside Max.

"I think they need a little beating – again!" He's already stripping out of his coat.

On no, not again. I grab Billy's arm.

"Don't mind him. Let's go home; it doesn't make sense anyway," I whisper.

But he doesn't even look at me, just shoves me away so that I stumble backwards. Somebody catches me before I come into contact with the hard wall.

"Gee. Watch your girl, or she might fall into the wrong hands."

I don't have to turn around to know who's standing right behind me: Rath! I don't know his real name – but he freaks me out. I move away from him, horrified.

The guy gives me the creeps. He's creepy, his eyes are always cold, and he never shows any emotion. He's tall, even taller and stronger than Billy.

With his arms crossed over his chest he walks over to stand next to Max.

"Don't. Touch. Her. Ever. Again!" Billy shouts. But I know that he only says these words because he hates the Bandits; he wouldn't mind if someone else hurt me. The realization makes me sad.

"You threw her in my arms, loser," Rath declares soberly.

Then he glances at me and sizes me up. "Maybe she wouldn't complain, if I touched her."

Or maybe I would freak out.

Just when Billy clenches his fingers to hit Rath someone else shouted:

"Not you again!"

A policeman runs up to us. "I'm sick of you fuckers. It's always the same thing with you. Go home now!"

I sigh with relief as Billy steps back and the Bandits turn to leave, going in the opposite direction. Thank God the policeman appeared and nobody wanted to spend another night in jail - Billy, Sean and Ryan are used to it – so are the Bandits, I guess.

***


	3. Chapter 3

**Part ****3**

At Billy's apartment...

The door barely has time to shut behind us before Billy begins to unbutton my blouse.

"Babe, you know what I need right now?"

He kisses me and pushes me to the couch. Within seconds he pulls off my pants. There isn't even a suggestion of tenderness; he doesn't even take off his own clothes, only unzips his pants.

I feel a little pain but I don't say anything. I don't think he would care anyway.

"Oh God! Yes!" he pants, and then it's over.

Without even looking at me or holding me in his arms for a moment, he stands up, zips his pants and goes into the kitchen.

Everybody says sex is a wonderful thing... I wonder why?

***

I collect my clothes from the ground and walk into the bathroom. I lock the door behind me, afraid that Billy will decide to visit me in the shower.

I feel so awkward and helpless while the water is dripping down over me. I want to wash these feelings away, but it doesn't work that way. My tears mix in with the water... I hate myself and my life.

***

I get out of the bathroom and find Billy sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating a sandwich. I notice my own starvation but he didn't bother to make me one, too.

"I'm going home now. My mother wasn't in the best mood this morning, so I shouldn't make her angry."

It's not the truth. I don't care about my mother. I'm only afraid that he'll want to have sex again later and I don't want to spend the whole night with him.

I yearn for some sleep, because that's the only time when I don't have to think about my crappy life and all of my problems.

"Okay," is all he says. He doesn't ask me if I want him to walk me home, but I don't mind.

***

The apartment door to my flat is locked.

"Shit," I hiss.

I had forgotten my keys that morning but my mother is usually awake at this time anyway.

I hear sounds inside, something drops down on the floor. Then I notice George's voice... well, there aren't words actually, only something like: 'Ah...', 'Oooh...' and 'Yeah, Baby!'. I grimace in disgust and wonder for the second time this day: What's the big deal about sex these days?

I keep ringing the doorbell to no avail – but nobody opens the door.

"Damn! What's this all about? Open the fuckin' door." I drum my fists against the door, screaming at my mother.

Nothing happens.

Somebody opens the door on the third floor: "Shut the fuck up!" Then the door is slammed shut.

I slump down against the wall almost crying. Almost.

***

I don't know how long I sit there pitying myself, but I eventually pull myself together and step out into the darkness again.

Where should I go?

To Billy?

No, I won't do that.

Maybe I can spend a night at Sean's. He's my cousin, he wouldn't let me sleep outside, would he?

His flat is at the other end of the district, so I have to walk for a while. I shiver as the cold wind blows in my face. My eyes begin to water and I pull my thin jacket closer against my body.

"Not a very bright thing to do...," somebody calls from behind me.

I turn around and see a dark figure leaning at a wall. I can't see who it is, but as the person takes a step forward into the light of a nearby street lamp I shiver: It's Kyle.

"… to walk alone outside at night!" he finishes his sentence.

Within seconds he's by my side. I want to move, but there's no time. Another Bandit is already behind me. Kyle clutches my arm tightly and drags me into a dark corner. He's pressing my body against the wall, and even though it's dark I can see the venomous smile on his lips.

"Maybe you should leave her alone...," the other guy says doubtfully.

"Shut up, Alex, and keep watching!"

I try to get rid of Kyle, but he's too strong. He grabs my breasts.

"You like that, little Hurricane?"

"Hands off, pervert!" I scream, hoping someone will hear me.

He presses his lips onto mine, and I can feel him pressing against me. My whole body quivers and my view becomes blurred.

"Please, stop!" I whisper, my voice wavering.

I almost choke with fear and disgust when his hand touches me everywhere.

I want to scream but his other hand keeps my mouth shut. I catch a glimpse of the other guy – Alex. He looks kind of sorry, but he doesn't do anything. I close my eyes, wishing for it to be over soon.

***

Suddenly I notice another sound in addition to Kyle's breaths. I blink; maybe someone heard my screaming? But my ray of hope vanishes, when I see who my supposed saviour really is: Rath!

He looks me straight in the eye, but I can't see any emotion. In a flash he pulls Kyle away from me and seizes him by the collar.

"Are you out of your mind?" I can see the anger in Rath's eyes.

Kyle was unnerved by Rath's presence and he stuttered: "I j-just wanted some fun. You won't tell Max, will you?"

Rath looks at him, unruffled.

"Drop dead! I'll see you then," is all he has to say.

He turns to Alex, giving him a seismic gesticulation to leave as well. Than he focuses on me again and comes up to me.

Immediately, my panic is back. Did he just dismiss the others to ... No, it must not happen... please.

With a lump in my throat, I whisper: "What do you want?"

My back is pressed against the wall and I want to run away, but he stands in front of me, with one hand supported by the wall as he blocks my escape. He stares at me without any expression. Suddenly his hand is on my jacket. I jerk but still don't have a chance to get away.

"You shouldn't be outside all alone at this time of night. Maybe there won't be anyone to protect you from someone like Kyle next time," he says coolly.

Than he zips my jacket and leaves.

***

Fortunately, Sean is at home. He doesn't have any room left for me at his studio apartment actually, but he makes an exception knowing my circumstances at home.

"So Aunt Amy had a drop too much again?"

I nod absent-mindedly. I'm still distracted, thinking about Kyle... his hands on my body... Rath...

I won´t tell anyone. It would only bring more trouble after all. Apart from this, Billy probably wouldn´t care, if it hadn't been someone from the Bandits.

I have to sleep at the floor, because Sean only has a small couch for himself... Body against body with my cousin... I really don't have to do this!


	4. Chapter 4

**Part ****4**

**The drab monotony of everyday life October 30th, 2007 – Tuesday - 9.00 am**

"Shit!" I hiss realizing the time. I slept in and it's already 9 o'clock.

Sean is still asleep, as I go to the bathroom to shower.

"No school today!" I decide while the hot water is running down my face. Slowly I remember the happenings from the night before. I don´t want to meet Kyle after last night. It was too mortifying, and I feel so stupid.

I stay at Sean's the whole afternoon. About 3:00 pm we walk to the skate park and meet Ava, Brody and Billy. No kiss in greeting today. Well, I don't mind.

Soon after, Ryan arrives too. He waves with a huge bag of weed, easily visible even with the distance between us.

"Wooohooo!" the guys yell.

"Where'd you get the pot from, dude?" Billy asks.

They greet each other with their usual ritual: a handshake here, backslapping there... the typical airy manner.

"I used my connections!" Ryan answers with a grin.

Billy laughs. "Well then, let's get stoned before we go to the Election to party."

Did he just say Election? Tonight?

I remember Kyle's words: Listen, DeLuca, _I have a little message for Billy: Stay away from the Election, or else we'll hurt your girlfriend_.

Okay, he only said it to creep me out, but still... I'm kinda nervous. You don't have to be a genius to know that it will cause lots of trouble if the Bandits are at Election, too.

"Listen guys! Wouldn't we rather go somewhere else?" I mention but regret it at the same time. Nobody will give a shit about my opinion. Sometimes I think I speak a different language, which nobody understands.

The others look at me, puzzled.

_Shit, think of something else, DeLuca. _

"Maybe the Bandits will be there, too..." I start.

"Even better! Then we'll smash their faces in." Billy interjects, excited at the prospect.

They all break out in dirty laughter – except from me.

At Ryan's apartment...

We went to Ryan's an hour ago. He's got a huge apartment. I don't know exactly how he earns the money to afford it, but I have a guess: He deals drugs.

Whatever... at least we didn't have to pass the basketball court and the coming confrontation with the Bandits was delayed.

They all sit in a circle now smoking weed. I don't see any reason why I should join them. I've done it before, but it only makes me dozy and calm, so what?

Billy sits down next to me and begins to stroke my leg up and down. He always becomes officious when he smokes pot.

He pulls my legs in his lap as his hands wander under my top. He starts kissing my wildly. I feel his rough stubble on my chin, and then he bites my bottom lip rudely. Does he think this makes me hot?

"We're gonna borrow your bedroom for a minute," Billy says in Ryan's direction, winking at him as he pulls me up from the couch roughly.

I want to scream as the door shuts behind us, but I can't...

He shoves me on the bed and crawls over me. He reaches down to unzip my pants.

"Please, not now!" I whisper timidly.

But he doesn't notice my voice or the tears running down my cheek.

After two minutes it's over. Billy falls down on the bed next to me. His eyes are closed, and he's breathing heavily. I stand up and put on my clothes in no time. All I can think about is: _Get out!_

I open the door to the living room. The others grin at me, their expressions leering. I just head for the bathroom straight-faced to wash my face and fix my hair.

It's about 11:00 pm as we enter _Election._  
>Billy knows the bouncer, so we don't have to pay the cover at least. Sean and Ryan disappear the moment we're in. I suppose they're going to buy drugs for the whole night.<p>

Ava meets a friend; I've never seen him before. And in the end Billy and Brody vanish to the bar to get some drinks.

So here I am... at Election... all alone.

I look around. Looks like there's no sign of the Bandits... yet. Without thinking about it I climb up on one of the platforms and start to dance. Since I was a young girl I've dreamed about being on stage – to sing and to dance. I know it's only a fantasy, but those dreams keep me from going crazy these days.

Billy and I met here for the first time, when Sean introduced us. I can still remember that day clearly. Billy looked at me, his gaze assessing… he flirted with me the whole night - and I flirted right back. Well, he's a good looking guy, I was alone and I didn't know him at the time. I wish I had.

I dance and dance without stopping, losing myself for at least an hour. I've even forgotten my worries for a while. So much the worse because I'm shocked when I see the Bandits assembled together at the entrance.

I try to carry it off without showing any emotion. Maybe they have no desire to argue and beat us up?

I keep on dancing, but the lightness is gone now. I don't look up, but I still know: He's watching me. RATH is watching me.

I can feel his eyes on me, trailing over my body.

It gives me the willies and so I jump from the platform and push my way through to the bar, searching for the last of the money in my pockets to at least buy a water. Then I sit down on a stool, keeping an eye on the others.

Billy stands on the dance floor with a buxom blond – maybe twenty meters away from me. He's flirting with her, one of his hands on her hip. And then – in a single blow – they're kissing.

I don't feel jealous – only humiliated, because everyone knows that I'm his _girlfriend _and he doesn't give a shit about me and my feelings.

Tears are flooding my eyes. _Why? Why's he kissing another girl in front of me? Why am I nothing to him?_

I turn away from them, but instead I meet Rath's gaze. He's looking at me knowingly. I can practically hear his thoughts: _Look at your loser-boyfriend. He's cheating on you. _

Then Rath breaks through the crowded dance floor – in Billy's direction.

Suddenly the blinders fall from my eyes: The buxom blond ... she's Kyle's little sister Megan.

I stare at them in disbelief.

Damn it!

Does Billy even know who he's kissing out there? I know Megan from school, but Billy has no friggin' idea. I can very well imagine that Kyle instigated his sister's participation on purpose, to tease Billy. Just so the Bandits have a reason to pick a new fight.

I watch Max and Kyle rushing in Billy's direction. They show no concern as they push other patrons away to get to him. Megan steps aside with a big, ugly grin on her face, the same grin I often see on her brother's face.

Kyle lunges out and hits Billy, who's baffled by the unexpected fist in his face. Billy stumbles backwards as blood trickles down from the corner of his mouth.

"You bastard!" Kyle screams over the music. "Take your filthy hands off my sister!"

At that moment, Ryan and Sean appear, only Brody is missing. Maybe he dragged some woman off earlier.

Kyle collars Sean right off the bat and they begin to beat the living hell out of each other.

Max on the other hand grabs Ryan and throws him to the ground.

Billy finally gathers his wits. He wants to go for Max, but suddenly Rath appears out of nowhere. I don't know how he always does that.

He grabs Billy with brute force and presses him to the wall. After all, Brody arrives – he gives Rath a clip in such a way that his bottom lip starts to bleed.

Rath wipes the blood away with his hand, his expression unchanging.

Luckily, some bouncer stops the fight and Billy brings all of the members of the Hurricanes together. He knows that the five-oh will appear soon. It's not the first time that something like this has happened.

"Maria! Come on, let's take off!" Sean screams. His right eye is already swollen badly. He grips my arm and pulls me away. Puzzled I look back again...

… and meet Rath's dark gaze once more tonight.

We had luck on our side; the police didn't get a hold of us.

I'm sitting on my bed at home now, covering my body with a blanket, but I'm still so cold. I'll sleep in jeans and a hoodie tonight, on the off chance that I can sleep.

All I can see through the window is a big, ugly mural and a small, dark alley. But when I lean forward, so that my cheek almost touches the pane, I can see a small piece of the sky.

_Why does Billy hurt me all the time? Why do I let him hurt me? Why did Rath observe me the whole night?_

Could my life get any worse?

It could….


	5. Chapter 5

**Part ****5**

**Abducted October 31st, 2007 – Wednesday - 8.05 am**

"Shit!"

Within seconds I´m out of my bed; it's already after 8:00 am – I slept in ... again. I storm into the bathroom to refresh myself at least. Then I run out of the flat.

I arrive at the subway station two minutes late.

"Fuck!" I rail. Now I have to wait another ten minutes.

I look around, checking to see if there is a free bench anywhere to relax from the run. But instead of that I come face to face with Kyle and Alex. My heart stops beating for several seconds.

"What took you so long, snatch? We waited here for ages!" Kyle looks at me annoyed, chewing his gum like a camel.

"What do you want? Are you such a wuss, that you have to always badger the women of the Hurricanes? I´m not the one who beat you black and blue yesterday", I snap.

He sneers. "Your boyfriend badgered my sister – so we´re gonna badger his girlfriend." He points a finger at me.

"You´re comin' with us now," he demands.

Alex and Kyle grasp my arms and drag me along with them.

"Let me go! Somebody help me!" I scream my head off, the people only stare at us.

_Nobody is going to help me. _

***

They brought me to an apartment - I think it´s Kyle´s – and then left again.

I sit restrained to a chair and try to untie myself, but it doesn´t work – my wrists are already sore.

Hours pass by and nothing happens, it has to be late afternoon already. I'm tired and cold – my muscles ache because I can´t move on this damn chair.

Suddenly I hear a sound coming from outside. A key is turned in the lock and then the door springs open. Immediately, I panic.

It´s Kyle and he´s alone...

"Honey, I´m home," he singsongs and looks at me lustfully.

_God, I wanna throw up!_

"Fuck you!" I hiss back.

He releases me from the chair and drags me along with him until he pushes me onto the couch.

He bends over me: "This time we´re alone – nobody can help you, DeLuca."

At one go he rips my top open, next he fumbles with the buttons of my pants. I try to shove him away with all my might, but he´s too strong and my hands are still bound behind my back.

I panic, I want to prevent it.

Kyle lays down on top of me, so that I barely can move and breathe. His hot breath touches my neck.

"Leave me alone, asshole!" I scream, tears running down my cheeks.

My pulse quickens, I take a deep breath one more time and then... with the last of my strength... I ram my knee into his soft tissue.

He squeals and falls down to the floor curled in pain.

I try to get up from the couch quickly, but as I stand upright Kyle grabs my ankle and pushes me off my feet.

My head slams against a table

...and then I black out.

***

I come round quickly.

"What the hell's going on?" someone yells.

I open my eyes slowly. The whole gang stands in the room.

Rath lifts me up from the floor. My head is spinning and I have to hold onto him, otherwise I would fall down again. I feel blood rushing down my face.

"Didn´t I tell you once before to satisfy your sex drive on someone else?" Rath snaps at Kyle.

"Once before?" Max asks puzzled.

Rath nods."Yeah, he tried once already, huh?" A grin flashes over his face. "But apparently, she knows how to protect herself." He points his finger at Kyle, who is still kneeling on the floor.

"Damn, Kyle! Do you want us to end up in jail for rape? You were supposed to just bring her here!" Max sounds really pissed.

"Take care of her!" he tells his girlfried and moves her in my direction.

She takes my hand and drags me along to the kitchen. She is in high spirits, mumbling things to herself.

"It wasn´t planned like this", she says and shakes her head energetically.

"I'm Liz." Her voice sounds soft. "Sit down in that chair, I´ll get you some water."

She walks around the kitchen and then gives me a glass of tap water. We exchange glances, then she looks away guilty.

_Girl, I know it´s not your fault. _

"Maybe you could do up the buttons of my jeans and arrange my top a little bit?" I ask her, ashamed.

"Yeah, of course!"

The moment she finishes, Max enters the kitchen.

"Max!" she cries out and throws herself into his arms.

He gives her a small kiss on her forehead, then they go back to the living room and I sit in the kitchen in silence.

_Don't cry! Don't let them see your weakness. _

***

Suddenly the door opens again and Rath enters the kitchen. He positions himself in front of me and crouches down on his haunches.

"Let´s have a look at the cut on your face."

He studies the wound, which is over my right eye, for a moment.

"It doesn´t have to be stitched", he decides.

_As if you would know. _

"Is there any more to it?" I ask annoyed. "You want to rape and kill me? Well, just go for it!" I let out my frustration – and reveal my fear.

"Relax, blondie!" Rath stymies me.

"We´ll just hold you here for a few days to drive Billy crazy and then you´ll go home alive."

He starts to leave the kitchen.

"Don´t leave me alone with Kyle!" I whisper to myself desperatly, but – to my surprise - he hears it.

Rath stares at me thoughtfully, but before he can say anything, Lonnie enters the room and studies me.

"Well, Kyle did a great job as usual!" she says ironically.

Max and Liz come to the kitchen again.

"So, what´s next?" Lonnie asks.

"We stay calm today. They have to realize that she´s gone first – could take a while, they´re idiots. But anyway... don´t go out alone tonight, that'd be too risky," Max instructs everyone.

Kyle comes into the room, hobbling.

"You´ll hear from me, bitch", he warns me.

Rath blocks him with his arm and slightly shoves him back to the living room. "Relax, dude!"

Then he turns to Max: "I´ll take the Hurricane chick to my place. He's liable to kill her the moment we leave." He makes a gesture with his head in Kyle's direction.

Max and Liz nod in agreement, and Lonnie looks at him seeming a little pissed.

Then all eyes are focused on me.

Here I am... alone again.

***


	6. Chapter 6

**Part ****6**

We sit in a car: Rath in the drivers' seat, Lonnie next to him and I´m in the backseat. My hands are still bound behind my back.

Rath glances at me in the rearview mirror every now and then. As Lonnie realizes it, she uses the integrated mirror in the lens hood to stare at me with her black-framed eyes.

I don´t want to know what she's thinkin' about.

I try to slide down a little bit, unnoticed. I feel really awful, I can hardly keep my eyes open. How can I think about sleeping at a moment like this?

_Ten minutes later...  
><em>  
>We arrive at a parking lot in front of a high and old building.<p>

I try to imagine Rath´s flat and I´m sure, it´ll be worse than my own home. Cold, small, and filthy. Probably with lots of posters of naked women on the walls and when you open the door, you'll be able to hear the mice, creeping back into the cracks. I get goose bumps from the thoughts alone.

I run out of steam as we go up the stairs - Rath has to pull me after him. He lives on the top floor; I lean on the wall gasping while he tries to find his keys.

"What is taking so long?" Lonnie asks, annoyed. She rolls her eyes.

"Whatever!" Rath answers, uncaring.

***

I can't believe me eyes as the door to Rath´s apartment opens. We enter and already stand in a huge living-sleeping-room combination. There is a bright, fluffy carpet on the floor.

There is also a black leather sofa, the matching armchair and a flat-screen TV in the living room part. The huge bed is separated by a shelf from the rest of the room. At the other side there is the kitchen, shielded by a counter and some bar stools.

Rath kicks the door shut and leads me to one of the stools.

"Sit down," he orders and then goes into the next room, which I guess would be the bath.

Lonnie turns on some music, but she keeps her eyes glued to me. She really scares me...

Rath comes back to the living room, plops down on the couch and takes a magazine from the table in front of him. Lonnie slips onto his lap and attacks his neck with her lips without warning. He ditches the magazine and his hands go directly to her ass.

_Urgh! Like animals! Hey, I´m still here! I don´t want to see this! _

"Do you really have to do THIS now?" I ask tetchy.

"Shut up!" Lonnie spits.

"I won't! I don't want to see this!" I snap back.

She rises to her feet and looks at me angrily.

"This bitch is ruining the mood", she says to Rath. "I'm outta here. Have fun", she adds sarcastically and gives me a threatening look.

Within seconds she´s gone and I sigh with relief. Rath watches me from the sofa. "Don´t stare at me!" I snap, because I´m so pissed right now.

He raises his eyebrows. "Your name's Maria, right?"

I nod.

"Well, Maria, I think you´re not in any position to be giving orders here," he declares coolly.

I ignore his comment and continue: "What´s your real name? Nobody would call their son Rath!"

"As far as you're concerned, my name is Rath!" he says.

I roll my eyes. "Fine...! So how long do I have to sit here? My wrists hurt; can't you untie me at least?"

"Can´t you just shut up? I don´t want to make small talk." He mutters.

"Too bad! You kidnapped me... so deal with it!"

Suddenly he stands up and walks over to me.

_Well, when I think twice... maybe you can just sit down again, okay? _This guy really freaks me out. I look at the ground when he stands right in front of me. One of his hands is shoved into his pants pocket as he searches for something there.

I cringe when I see what he pulls out... a knife.

"Relax, blondie!" he says with an outrageous grin and cuts the bonds on my wrists. Then he goes to the front door, locks it and sticks the key in his pants pocket.

_No worries! I won´t willingly try to get them from there!_

***

I don't know how long I sit on that damn chair. I´m bored, hungry and very pissed. "Can I ask you something?" I look at Rath, who sits at the sofa watching TV.

"No!" he answers coldly.

"What´s the point of all this?" I snap.

"I thought I said no?" Rath furrows his brow.

"Just one question, okay? What do you guys expect to get from this kidnapping thing?"

He shrugs. "It was Max's idea. He wants to provoke Billy... so logically, his girlfriend would be the best tool."

I laugh out loud, the sound sardonic. "Yeah... maybe you think so. But believe me, you won´t get much success with that. He doesn't care if I'm with him or not."

Rath grins. "Billy's an arrogant guy; this'll injure his pride. Even if he doesn't normally give a shit about you."

His words hurt me, because it´s the truth."That's ridiculous!" I deny.

He looks at me as if he wants to say: Come on! It's blindingly obvious! But instead he says: "Well, if you say so… even better!"

Great! Now I'm angry more than ever!

"What're all these adolescent antics really about? I can't stand to hear that shit anymore! 'That´s our territory – Fuck off, or else we'll beat the living daylights out of you!' I wonder, how all of you can have so much rage without any reason?"

I see the ironic grin on his face as Rath shakes his head slightly.

"What?" I almost scream.

"None of those losers have ever told you, right?"

_It's all Greek to me._

"What the hell do you mean?" I ask furiously.

"There was a fight at the basektball court almost two and a half years ago. Max, his little brother Danny, Kyle and I were playing, when your friend Billy and two of the other freaks arrived. They started to provoke us and accused Max of stealing some money – of course it wasn´t true. Billy was only looking for a reason to punish somebody. He went for Max, but Danny got between them when Billy pulled a knife out of his pocket. Billy shoved him at the street – and Danny was hit by a car."

Rath grimaces at the bitter memory.

"He died in Max's arms moments later," he adds quietly.

I look at him in disbelief, my body quivering.

"So it's Billy's fault, that Max's brother died," I whisper uncertainly.

"Yeah. And he got out of it with two years on probation. That´s absurd! That day changed everything. Max hates Billy… and I hate him because Max hates him."

He pauses a moment and then Rath leans forward and looks squarely into my eyes – I have the feeling he can see my darkest secrets.

"Oh,... I destroyed your perfect little world now, right?"

"Shut up!" I scream. "You know absolutely nothing about me or my life, so don't you dare judge it!"

I'm sick. Could it be true? I don´t want to believe it.

_Am I the girlfriend of a …. killer?_

***

It's almost 7:00 pm and I´m still sitting on that chair.

"Do I have to sleep while sitting on this chair tonight?" I ask Rath, pissed.

He shrugs. "Depends on your behavior!"

I stare at him open-mouthed. "My behavior? What´s that supposed to mean?"

"Well, if you're gonna be bitchy like now, you can sleep on that chair, otherwise maybe you'll get the couch."

"I´m only bitchy because my ass hurts and I´m pissed and bored and annoyed... oh yeah and I´m cold because some jerk ripped my shirt. Should I go on?" I look at him rebelliously.

He sighs and runs his hand over his face.

"Fine!" He stands up and walks to a wardrobe.

"Here!" He tosses a shirt in my lap. "You can have a shower; towels are in the bathroom. I'm gonna go get a pizza."

I nod, but hate that he bullies me... but a shower and pizza... there´s nothing I should complain about, nothing at all.

So I plop down on the chair and practically run to the bathroom.

I can´t wait to feel the warm water running down my skin, so I rip off my clothes in a matter seconds. A little moan escapes my mouth, as the first drops run down my face.

"Awesome!" I mumble to myself.

***

I get back into my clothes after at least 15 minutes in the shower. Rath´s shirt is much too big, but it's better than my ripped top.

He´s still gone, when I go back to the living room. Maybe I should try to escape? But how?

The front door... locked – what else? It´s a strong door, no chance for me to it get through it with violence.

No fire escape.

Way too high to jump out of the window.

Well, I´m trapped I I can´t do anything about that.

I go to the leather couch and sit down. That´s much better than the damn chair over there.  
>A magazine on the table catches my attention. It´s a TV paper, but I´m only interested in the delivery address.<p>

"Michael Guerin", I read out loud, my voice quiet.

So his real name is Michael – sounds much better than Rath to me.

The moment I put the magazine back, he walks in.

"Make yourself at home", he hisses, as he notices me on his couch.

"Okay, MICHAEL", I cheer in my sweetest voice and act as if I don't hear the sarcasm.

He looks at me puzzled, but then he spots the magazine. Without saying anything else, he puts the pizza on the table and drops down into the armchair.

We sit there in silence for a while, eating the pizza. I can´t remember the last time I have eaten something like this. It tastes so good, and I'm almost sated.

"You don´t seem that disappointed about your situation here." Michael notices.

"Well, I can´t escape anyway, so..." I try to hide my insecurity, because he´s right. I can´t shower at home, I don't have anything to eat, it´s damn cold in my room... and I don´t like hanging around with Billy at all.

"You can´t fool me, girl. I know how Billy usually treats you," he says directly.

I lean back and gaze into my lap.

"Is it that evident?" I whisper. I don´t want him to know so much about my life; I am ashamed of it.

"Well, I've known Billy for a very long time. Why'd you become a member of his gang anyway? You're not a member from the beginning – as far as I know."

"Sean – my cousin – initiated me. I had no other friends and so I joined them."

"Not the smartest decision of your life, huh?" Michael looks at me quizzically.

"Maybe not", I confess quietly and try to look at him. "At least, as long as I´m in his gang, he won´t beat up on me and my lip won't look like yours." I gesture to his swollen bottom lip.

"I wouldn't count on that!" he tells me, his tone one of warning.

Then he gets to his feet and disappears in the bathroom, leaving me flustered on the couch.

***


	7. Chapter 7

**Part ****7**

Within seconds the door to the bathroom opens again.

"Come in here!" Michael orders.

I look at him in horror. "WHAT?"

"I said: Come – in – here!"

"I understood what you said! But why? I can´t escape anyway."

"But you could lock me in here, if you're smart."

"I won´t!"

"Well, I don´t trust you. So get you ass in here or do I have to catch you?"

I roll my eyes. "Fine, I'm coming."

I enter the bathroom and he locks the door behind me.

"You´re showering with me!" he says to the key in his hand and then he looks at me. "Sit down on the edge of the tub."

"Don´t tell me what I should do!"

He gives me a warning glare – and I sit down as I was told.

"I won´t look away," I declare. Maybe he won´t strip down to nothing in front of me and I can go back to the living room.

He shrugs. "You don´t have to."

Then he takes off his shirt. I hold my breath when I see his sixpack and the well-conditioned upper arms. God, I have to admit it: He's sexy. How would it feel like to lay my hand on his chest?

I shift slightly and look away. I can´t do this! I can´t allow myself to be attracted to Michael Guerin – the enemy.

"I thought you wouldn't look away," he says smugly.

"It´s too disgusting!" I answer way too quickly.

"I don´t buy that, DeLuca."

I look at hm again and try to hide a gasp, as I realize, that he stands in front of me wearing only his boxers.

"I've seen better!"

_Liar!_

He smiles at me knowingly. "Maybe next time we could shower together?"

"What?" I squeak.

He laughs but doesn´t repeat himself.

***

Fortunately, I survived in the bathroom and I´m sitting on the couch now.

Michael sits in the armchair and rolls a cigarette. I watch his every move carefully. His hands are beautiful and I can´t ignore the temptation to imagine the feeling of his touch on my skin.

Would it be soft and tender?

No male had touched me gently – ever! I can't even believe that I'm allowing myself to think about him touching me. It´s so wrong and it´s so ... not me!

I shiver and try to block out those thoughts about him.

"Are you cold?" He had noticed the gooseflesh creeping up on my bare arms.

"Just a little bit," I lie.

_Actually I was just having some sexual thoughts about you._

"You want a pullover?" He asks while looking at me and leaning back.

I nod.

Instead of going to his locker and catch one, he pulls the one he is wearing over his head and hands it to me. I put it on and have to resist the urge to inhale his scent.

"Can I ask you someting?" I try to look at him.

"Depends on your question!" he responds.

"Why are you so nice to me? ... Well, not nice by any means, but you haven´t hurt me physically and you didn't make me sit on that chair the whole day... You´re not like... some of the others in your gang."

Apparently, he has to think about it a few moments. "Well, first, I wouldn't hurt any female physically. Well, unless she has a weapon and tries to kill me. Second," he leans forward and stares into my eyes, "tell me if I'm wrong, but I think you hate Billy as much as I hate him."

Michael faces me quizzically. "I´m right, ain´t I?"

I can´t say anything, because I´m too shocked. How does he know me so well? I haven´t talked to him about my life or anything personal – but he seems to be aware of everything.

"I... I have to go to the bathroom." I croak and leave without hesitation.

***

I came out of the bathroom a few minutes ago.

"It´s late. I´m going to bed now", Michael decides. "I've gotta tie you up somewhere."

I look at him in horror and see the handcuffs at the floor. "What? I'm not a dog!" I say outraged.

"You're a Hurricane, and I don't trust you."

"I won´t try to escape or to kill you – I promise." I mention glibly.

"As I said: I don´t trust you, now give me your wrist," he orders.

"NO!" I scream back.

He sighs and stands up, reaching for the handcuffs. "Don´t be bitchy again."

"Well, then don't be an asshole."

"Give me your damn wrist."

"Fuck you." I yell and hide my arms behind my back.

"Fine." He tosses the cuffs on the table and I can feel the triumph for a second, until he grabs me and tosses me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"What are you doing?" I shout. "Let me go!" I beat my fists against his back.

"Make up your mind: Either you let me tie you up or you'll stay in the bathroom the whole night and you can sleep on the cold floor."

I give up. "All right, fine. Tie me up, jerk!"

He flings me back on the couch rudely. I hear the 'click' of the cuffs on my wrist, then another 'click' – he tied me at the heating pipe. Michael walks to his bed and gets me a pillow and a blanket. "Sleep well", he tells me in a harsh voice.

_Screw you, son of a bitch!_

**Second day of abduction November 1st, 2007 – Thursday - 7:30 am**

I wake up when I hear noise coming from the kitchen. I try to stretch out a little bit and the memory of my cuffed wrist and my whole situation comes back abruptly.

"Morning!" Michael says, his tone snippy as he unties me and hands me a cup of coffee. "I'm leaving for work soon. So go to the bathroom, it´s your last chance to pee until late afternoon."

"What? Are you serious? Won't work!" I snap.

"It has to!" He remains cool.

***

Michael is gone. "I'll be back at 5:00 pm. Don't bother screaming – nobody will hear you. Max and Liz live one floor under me, downstairs there's an old man who can barely hear anything and the rest of the house is empty," he tells me and gives me a bottle of water, a candy bar, some magazines and the remote for the TV.

It's only around lunchtime and I'm already bored to death. I can't move very much with my newly-cuffed wrists, so my ass hurts and my body is getting stiff. I've tried to sleep some more, but it didn´t work.

Suddenly I hear sound coming from behind the front door. A key is turned in the lock.  
><em><br>What if it´s Kyle? _

I try to stay calm, but my heart is racing.

The door opens slowly.

I sigh... it´s only Liz.

***

"Hey, Maria," she greets me with a shy voice.

"Hey," I respond, still a little unsure.

"How are you?" She takes a seat in the armchair.

I shrug. "How would you feel if you were being held captive?"

She looks at the floor guiltily.

I pull myself together. "Okay, listen! I know it´s not your fault, Liz. I don't blame you for this. I´m just pissed about the situation, but it´s got nothing to do with you."

She lifts her head slightly and smiles. "Michael asked me to look after you and see if you needed anything."

"So basically, he asked you to be my nanny, so that I don't get into trouble."

She shakes her head. "No, and you can't escape anyway. He just didn´t want you to be alone here the whole day." Liz looks at me seriously. "He's on your side. I know, sometimes he´s kind of rough, but you don´t have to be afraid of him. Max doesn´t know that I´m here with you, he wouldn´t be pleased. Well, never mind! I brought you something to eat. It's homemade pasta. Are you hungry?"

I nod. "Oh, yeah, I'm starving."

She laughs. "Okay, I'll warm it up in the microwave."

After a minute she comes back with a big plate of pasta.

"Yum! That´s tasty, Liz."

"I´m glad you like it. Max loves it." Her eyes start to glow as she says his name.

"You are really in love with him, huh?" I try to hide my jealousy.

She grins dreamily and starts to gush, "Yes, I've never felt so much love for someone else. He makes me feel special. Suddenly, my life makes sense. I gave up my family and my freinds for him, because they were against us. But I don´t regret my decision. I would do anything for him, and I know he would do everything for me."

Then she stops, maybe shocked by her own honesty.

I try to smile encouragingly. "You should consider yourself lucky, Liz!" My voice almost breaks.

"What about you? Do you feel the same when you're with Billy?"

I stare at her in disbelief. My eyes water as I shake my head carefully.

Quickly, she tries to change the subject. "I have to go now. I´m working at a restaurant called the 'Crashdown'. My shift starts in 30 minutes."

She takes the empty plate from the table and carries it to the sink.

"Liz..." I call after her as she reaches the door.

She turns around to look at me.

"Thank you... you know... for the company and the food."

She smiles at me. "You´re welcome. See you."

***


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

It's 5:07 pm, when the door swungs open and Michael walks in wearing a pair of coveralls and his face is covered in patches of grime.

"Hi!" He greets me in passing and disappears into the bath.

I can hear him in the shower. A few minutes later he comes back to the living room wearing only his boxers. I have to choke back a gasp and look away. "You could have warned me at least." I try to sound disgusted.

"What for? Seems to me that you like what you see!"

_Damn it. I'm too obvious. _

"You wish!"

He gets dressed and comes over to me. Finally, he unties me and I´m free! Well, not really free, but at least I can walk around.

First, I have to pee. I run to the bathroom.

Second, I do some exercises in the living room.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm trying to loosen my muscles, jackass."

"Get back on the couch," he orders.

"I was on that couch all day," I shout.

"The others are gonna be here in a few minutes," he explains.

I´m terrified. "When you said the others, did that include..." My voice trails off into nothing.

"Kyle? Sure!"

"Oh!" I whisper.

He seems to notice my panic. "He won´t touch you."

I face him doubtfully.

"I promise," Michael affirms in a softer voice.

_One hour later...  
><em>  
>I'm tied up again!<p>

Michael believes it would be better to act as if I'm tied up even when he's home, while the other Bandits are at his place. They sit around the bar in the kitchen and talk about their plans for this evening.

"I don´t think the Hurricanes have even noticed that one of their own is missing," Max says.

"Idiots!" Lonnie mutters.

"Losers!" Michael agrees.

"Well, I wouldn´t give a shit about that bitch, either," Kyle hisses and moves in my direction.

"Don´t even think about it, Kyle!" Michael tells him and holds on to his shoulder.

"What are you? Her bodyguard?" Kyle snaps back, pissed.

"I'm just saving you from prison," Michael hisses.

"Stop it!" Max intervenes. "Let's go to the basketball court and cool down!"

It's almost 8 o´clock in the evening when Michael comes back alone. I´m pissed, no, I´m very pissed, because I've sat here for the last three hours... alone... tied...bored...

"Hey," He greets me quietly.

"Whatever," I mutter.

"Are you hungry?"

"Fuck you!"

He looks at me and has the nerve to look puzzled. "Bitchy again?"

"Shut up! You left me alone again. I was alone the entire day and I can´t even move. I´m bored shitless."

He sits down on the table in front of me. "DeLuca, listen carefully! You're kidnapped, okay? You have nothing to complain about! Actually you could be a little more grateful, because I brought you to my place instead of leaving you at Kyle's like it was planned. You could've watched TV the whole day and slept on the couch. I let you walk around when I´m home and you can shower if you want. Have you ever heard of a hostage having the freedoms I've offered you? I don´t think Billy would be so generous with someone from our gang, what do you think?"

"No," I answer grudgingly.

"Good girl!" he says with a grin.

I roll my eyes but stay quiet. He pulls the key out of his pants pocket and opens the handcuffs. The moment he sits up again, I spot a blue bruise on his left cheek. I take his chin in my hand and turn his head slightly until I have a better view of the swelling.

_OMG! What am I doing? I´m touching him! _

My heartbeat increases with the realization. "What happened?"

Michael gently removes my hand from his face. His fingers touch my skin a moment longer than necessary.

"We met your gang at the park and Max antagonized Billy. He asked him some questions about you and hinted about your abduction."

"So, now they know that you kidnaped me?"

He shrugs. "Not for sure. But if he's not totally brainless he knows how the story goes."

"... and he hit you, not Max?"

Michael scratches his eyebrow. "Well, I said something he didn´t like."

"What was it?"

"Never mind. So again, are you hungry?"

"Sure!" As if by command, my stomach starts to growl and he goes into the kitchen, leaving me puzzled._ What did he say to Billy? _

"I brought some Chinese food."

"Yummy."

"Do you want the roasted noodles with chicken or duck?"

"That's a tough call! Well, umm...!"

He sighs. "DeLuca, you're insane! Let´s change halfway through, okay?"

"Yes!" I squeak with delight, clapping.

An hour later...

We sit on the couch watching TV, but the movie isn´t very interesting. I catch myself watching Michael instead of the tube. I don´t want to, but I can´t help myself.

His cheek is getting bluer and bluer. It has to hurt like hell although it seems like he doesn't care.

"Do you have some ice cubes?"

"Yeah, why?"

I don´t answer him, but stand up and walk into the kitchen. I take some ice cubes out of the freezer and wrap them in a kitchen towel. Then I return to the couch, sit down next to Michael and softly press the cold fabric against his cheek.

He closes his eyes and furrows his brow.

"What're you doin'?" he asks quietly.

"Cooling your cheek – it's swollen."

"It's not that bad."

"Believe me, it is!"

"If you say so. I'll take it from here." He slowly takes the towel from me. "Take care after you´re free, okay?" he implores after a moment of silence. "Maria, look at me. I´m serious, you have to get away from him."

"You can't get out of a gang easily. What am I supposed to say to him? Oh sorry, but I don´t want to hang around with you anymore. It doesn't work like that and you know it!"

He groans. "You have to at least try, okay?"

I nod. "I will."

"Well," he scratches his eyebrow again, "I think I´m gonna sleep now."

"So you're gonna handcuff me again, right?"

"You wouldn´t sleep very well – tied on the couch I mean, huh?" He looks at me pensively.

"Maybe not."

"You wanna sleep in the bed with me? It's big enough."

My gaze slides to his bed. "But you can´t 'cuff me there."

He shrugs, "I'll 'cuff us together."

"WHAT?"

"You prefer this?" He motions to the sofa.

"NO," I answer way too quickly.

He grins knowingly. "I thought so."

Some minutes later...

We are lying in his bed now – cuffed together, but I feel comfortable. The mattress is smooth and cushy. It's so much better than the couch... or my bed at home.

"Do you have enough room?" Michael asks.

"More than enough. Thank you." I can´t help myself; the whole situation is really kind of weird.

_Think about it! I'm lying in bed... with HIM – my supposed-to-be enemy, but I´m not scared or pissed or uncomfortable. What the hell is going on?_

"How can you afford this flat? And all the other things here?" I ask Michael.

"DeLuca!" he mutters. "I want to sleep now."

"But I'm not tired. I didn´t do anything today."

He breathes out. "I'm working, okay? I earn money so I can pay the rent."

"But this apartment has to be expensive."

"Connections!"

"Illegal?"

"What? No. Stop talking now."

"What's your job?"

He gives me a warning glare.

"It´s the last question, okay?"

"I'm working at an auto shop as a mechanic."

"So you can steal cars?"

"I don't steal cars."

"But you could."

"Shut up now or I'll kick you out of my bed!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Part ****9**

**Day of liberation November 2nd, 2007 – Friday - 11:00 am**

I awake from a sound coming from the kitchen.

"Morning, Maria!" greets a female voice.

I have to blink two or three times before my eyes adjust to the brightness. Liz is standing behind the counter.

"I thought you weren't gonna wake up today."

"Why?" I murmur drowsily.

"It's almost noon!"

"What? … Oh… sorry."

She stops me with a wave of her hand. "Never mind. I'm glad you slept well. I've made some pasta bake for us – I know, pasta again, but I love it. You can shower and then we'll eat something, what do you say?"

I look at my wrist. "I'm not cuffed," I notice.  
>"Michael thought it wasn't necessary anymore. And since you slept until now... I think he was right." Liz smiles at me.<p>

"Yeah," I smile back – an honest smile – I haven't done that in a long time.

***

After a long, warm shower and tons of pasta (again)...

We sit on the couch and watch TV, but I have the feeling Liz wants to tell me something.

"Max plans to release you today," she blurts out.

"Oh!" I don't know what else to say. Shouldn't I feel happy and at ease or something? Well, I don't.

"Don't worry. They won't hurt you."

_Maybe not one of the Bandits_, I think.

"I'm surprised that Billy isn't already searching the whole city for you. Before this you've always hung around each other all day. You disappeared three days ago, hasn't he noticed this?"

"Most of the time he picks me up after school. But when I'm not there he doesn't really care. He doesn't care about me or my feelings or anything."

"That sounds really bad, Maria." Liz looks at me, her expression one of pity.

"It's okay! I don't really care about him either."

"But why don't you break up with him?"

"Because Billy won't allow it, Liz; he won't let me go regardless."

"You have to try it, Maria."

"You sound like Michael!"

"Well, that should make you wonder, shouldn't it?"

***

Michael came home around 2 o'clock pm. He showered, ate something, and now he's watching TV.

"So…" I start, "you want to release me today?"

He looks at me in surprise. "Don´t worry. You won't get hurt. And after that you're free and don't have to hang around in this apartment the whole day anymore."

I stay silent.

"You are glad about it, aren't you?" He studies my face intently.

"Of course I am," I tell him unconvincingly.

Suddenly his cell phone starts to ring.

"Yeah," he answers the phone.

"You sure?"

...

"Okay, we're coming."

He hangs up and faces me, his features serious. "Okay, Maria. Showtime!"

I nod, stand up, and follow him to the door. I have a bad feeling, but who wouldn't? He lays one hand on the doorknob and stares down at me.

"Remember what I told you, Maria. You have a chance to get out of this."

"Stop it, Michael," I snap. "Don't give me advice when you don't even know the half of my life."

"But..." he breaks off and takes a deep breath. "Just try to stay away from him. Don't meet him every day at least."

"I will! I promise. And you… watch your cheek."

He smiles softly. "I will."

***

Lonnie is already waiting at Michael's car when we get there. She looks at me with spite, and if looks could kill... she really hates me. I sit down in the backseat and she slams the door.

Michael's face turned into stone the moment we walked out of his apartment. Now he seems cold and scary to me, just like in the past when I didn't know him. What will happen next?

I don't know. I just hope that it won't get too bad.

***

We stop at the skate park and I can see Billy, Brody and Sean through the tinted windows. They're skating and haven´t noticed us yet. Max, Kyle and Alex are in the other car in front of us.

Max gets out of the car and makes a signal for the others to follow.

"Stay here until I get her," Michael instructs Lonnie.

"Why do I have to wait in the car with that bitch?" she snaps.

Michael doesn't respond and slams the door. As the sound echoes off of the concrete, Billy finally notices our presence, but I don't think that he can see me in the car.

Within seconds Billy, Brody and Sean stand up in a row crossing their arms. Michael and Max confidently make it towards them, closely followed by Kyle and Alex.

"Fuck off, Bandits!" Billy hisses.

The front window of the car is open, so I can hear most of their words.

"Maybe we have something that you want!" Max tosses out offhandedly.

Billy looks amused. "What could YOU have to offer me?"

"A lot, I'd say!"

"What is it? I don't need anything! And sure as hell not from you."

"Maybe you're missing something?" Max adds.

"Well, I have my dick, that's all I need," Billy replies and grabs his cock.

"We'll give you a heads-up. Well, it's blonde..." Max starts.

"...and hot..." Michael adds.  
><em><br>He thinks I'm hot?_

"... and a damn bitch!" Kyle rails.

Billy doesn't react, but I have the feeling that he suspects the right thing.

"Show him!" Max says to Michael with an arrogant grin. Michael nods and comes back to the car again.

He jerks the door open, grasps me roughly and pulls me out of the car. Before anyone can see me, he leans forward and whispers, "It's better if you don't listen now, okay?"

I don't have time to answer. He holds my arms together behind my back, but not too firmly. Billy's face turns into a grimace as soon as he sees me.

"Hands off, bastard!" he screams at Michael.

"Didn't you even notice that your little bitch was gone?"

It hurts to hear those words about myself from Michael.

"What've you done to her?" Sean screams.

"Oooh! How sweet," Lonnie taunts, "suddenly they're worried about her."

"Somebody had to show her what a REAL man feels like, right Rath?" Max says suggestively and gestures at Michael.

This pushes Billy over the edge. "If you ever laid a hand on her, I swear, I'll kill you!" He goes for Michael, his stride quickly eating up the distance between them.

"Get lost," Michael breathes and shoves me away.

Sean rushes to my side and pulls me away from the others. "Are you okay, Maria? Damn it, I had this weird feeling that they had you. I should've gotten involved in the matter."

"Don´t worry. I´m fine. Really."

Suddenly Billy is by our side. "We're leavin'! Ryan isn't here and they're all here."

"You're gonna let them go without doin' anything?" Brody asks angrily.

"For now. They´ll see." Billy grasps my arm and drags me along with him.

I carefully look back, once. My eyes lock with Michael's, who is staring at me in concern.

***


	10. Chapter 10

**Part ****10**

At Brody's...

Brody's apartment is very small. Even smaller than Sean's, I think, but it is the closest place to the skate park. We sit in the living room, and Brody wraps a blanket around me and brings me a cup of tea.

Ryan enters the flat, rushing through the door. Billy had called him and Ava as soon as we arrived at the apartment. "Are you okay, Maria?" he pants, winded from his exertions.

"When did they capture you?" Sean asks.

"Wednesday morning," I reply. "I was on my way to school, but Kyle and this Alex-guy grabbed me at the underground station."

Everyone seems worried about me - everyone but Billy.

"Where did they take you?" Ava wants to know.

"First I was at Kyle's, but than M... uh, Rath took me to his apartment." _OMG, I almost said Michael!_

"Did they hurt you?" Sean inquires.

I shake my head. "No." I won't tell them about Kyle. I'm too ashamed of it and it only would make things worse between us and the Bandits.

"And then you decided to fuck that bastard, you little bitch?" Billy roars, standing in front of me.

"What?" I wince, afraid. "NO, I didn't fuck any of them, okay?"

"Fine!" He doesn't seem convinced to me. "So, where does he live?"

"Who?"

"Rath!" Billy hisses in anger.

"I don't know," I lie.

Billy takes my head in his hands roughly and forces me to look at him. "Tell me where he lives! You were there, so don't give me this shit."

"I said, I don't know, okay?" My voice shakes, but I try to stay calm. "They blindfolded me, I couldn't see anything."

"He'll pay for touching my woman!" Billy decides and looks at Sean, Ryan and Brody to get their understanding nods.

"Billy, he didn't touch me! Ever! Okay? Why don't you believe me?"

"Maybe I do believe you. But he acted like he fucked you and I'll make him pay for that."

"He didn't say that. Max was the one who made the insinuation. Maybe we should go after him," Brody suggests.

"No!" Billy decides, refusing to accept anything that might take the heat off of Rath. "Rath didn't deny it and I don't like the way he looked at her. Forget about Max for a while. Rath is our target!"

A wide grin appears on his face. "Let's figure out how we can blow him away," he says to the guys. "Ava, take Maria home and then you go home, too."

I try to hide my desperation when I walk out of the apartment_. What will they do to Michael?_

"Are you okay now?" Ava asks me on the way home.

"Yeah, thanks. As I said, they didn't hurt me, so..."

"I'm sure it was scary for you to be alone with all of them. Especially with Rath, he seems so cold and violent to me."

_I was scared in Kyle's apartment, but not in Michael's. I'm more scared now, with Billy, than I was with him._

I desperately want to tell the truth to somebody, but Ava wouldn't understand. Instead of I say, "Yeah, a little bit. But at least I'm out now."

"Fortunately!"

The rest of the way we walk in silence. I don't have anything else to tell her, and she doesn't have anything to say either.

I'm home again and I find my mother and George half naked in the living room. They passed out on the couch, an empty bottle of vodka between them. I shake my head in disgust and quickly walk into my bedroom. It's so cold that I pull on another pullover, sit down on the bed and wrap the blanket around me.

Michael's words still resound in my head: _Didn't you even notice that your little bitch was gone?_

Tears are running down my cheeks, but it's okay. I'm alone now, so nobody will see them. I allow myself to be weak in these rare moments.

A small smile appears on my lips as I clutch the old Teddy, which was a present from my grandma, when she was still alive. It reminds me of the better times in my life.

I often stayed at my grandma's house when I was younger and my mom was still at work in the hospital. I always felt safe and happy with her. But when she died four years ago everything went south. My mom started to drink because she didn't deal well with the loss. Then she lost her job because of the alcohol. Every week she brought home another lover, who paid our bills until he was sick of it. But she still loved me.

Until George came into our lives. He's worse than the others. He completely drags my mother away from me. In his opinion I'm the disrupting factor in her life and he wants to get rid of me.

I hope my mother will come to her senses soon. She's my mother; she wouldn't dump me, would she?

What should I do, when even my mother doesn't love me anymore?

Billy doesn't give a shit about me. He wasn't worried about me for a single second. All he could think about was his injured ego.

I think back about the days in Michael's apartment. I can't see him as an enemy. I don't know why, but I have the feeling that he cared about me, even if he tried to play it cool.

_Take care after you're free, okay? ...you have to get away from him._

I can remember his words so clearly. But does it matter? We'll probably never talk again. I won't get the chance to find out more about him. All I can do is hope that Billy and the others don't kill him.

_**Day of Billy´s payback November 3**__**rd**__**, 2007 - Saturday - 8:00 am **_

I didn't sleep well last night. I was haunted by nightmares.

Suddenly my mum walks into my room. "Where have you been?" she hisses.

"Nowhere! As if you care," I answer, still a little sleepy.

George shuffles her to the side, storms into my room and drags me out into the kitchen. He shoves me into the room, causing me to lose my balance and fall on the floor, hard. "Answer her question!" He shouts while I pull myself together and get up.

"I was with Sean!" I breathe heavily.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" George yells and slaps me across the face with the palm of his hand.

I hold my cheek as pain explodes through skin and bone and turn to face my mother. For a moment she seems to be shocked by what happened, but she doesn't do anything.

"You let him hit me?" I scream at her.

She doesn't even react.

Before George can make the next move, I'm out of the flat.

I decide to go to the park, where my grandma and I often went when I was a child. I wasn't here for years but it hadn't really changed. The playground is still there and I sit down in a swing.

The cold wind makes me shiver. I didn't even have the time to grab my jacket. Fortunately, I'm still wearing the extra pullover from the night before and I had pulled on my shoes. My cheek hurts like hell when I move my face. I think it's swollen and most likely black and blue.

I watch a father and his son playing football. The little kid laughs every time when his father pretends to fall down from the "hard" thrown ball. "One day my boy, you'll be a great football player," the man says and the young boy squeals with delight. I smile at them sadly.

"Maria?" Someone jolts me out of my daydreams.

I look in the direction the voice had come from and my heart skips a couple of beats.

"Michael!" I whisper, afraid that somebody would hear or see us together. It looks like he was jogging or something because he's wearing a pair of sweatpants.

"What're you doing here?" he asks, puzzled. "It's early and it's cold out."

I look around nervously. What if Billy sees us?

"Don't worry, I haven't seen anyone from your gang around this place and my friends are fast asleep, I'm sure. So, what're you doing here?"

"Just hanging around. And why're you here?"

"Well, I try to stay fit and morning's the best time to go jogging."

He studies me intently and crouches down on his haunches. "What happened to your face?"

"Nothing. I just fell on the stairs to my place last night."

He turns my head with his hand so that he can have a closer look at my cheek. I close my eyes. _No, Maria, you can't let yourself enjoy his touch._

"It doesn't look to me like damage you could have done to yourself. Somebody hit you, right?"

I don't respond. I don't have to, we both know that he's right.

"Billy?"

I can feel his muscles tighten as he speaks his name aloud, but I'm too shaken to answer.

He slips closer between my legs and his hands grip the ropes of the swing. "Look at me," Michael orders gently.

I turn my head slowly until we are face to face. I almost can't stand his strong gaze. "Who did that to you?" he asks seriously.

I can't choke back my feelings any longer. Tears flood my eyes and a few stifling sobs escape my throat. I hide my face behind my hands. This is so embarrassing, I don't want to be weak, but I can't keep it in anymore.

"Go away, Michael," I plead while crying.

But he doesn't. All at once I can feel his hands on my hips. He brings me up against his chest. At first I try to resist it, but after a short time I give in and wrap my arms around him. I bury my face in his neck and revel in his warmth as it surrounds me.

We stay in this position for long minutes. He holds me tightly against his body without saying a word until I calm down.

"You don't have to tell me the details. Just let me know if it was Billy or not?" he says while he strokes a strand of hair behind my ear.

"It wasn´t him. I promise."

He nods. "Okay. I believe you… I have to go now. Max wants to see me in a few minutes."

"Sure." I try to hold onto him a little longer, but I know I have to let him go.

"Bye." I pull my arms away from him.

He stands up. "Go home, it's too cold outside."

"I will" ... _not_ .

He turns around and starts to leave.

Suddenly I remember the conversation between Billy and the others. "Michael," I jump from the swing and run after him, "you have to be careful. Billy's planning to come after you because of my abduction."

"I'll keep my eyes open."

Today it's my turn to look at him with concern as he leaves.


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11 **

In the afternoon...

I decided to go to the skate park, but when I got there I was alone. Nobody was there. Now I'm sitting on one of the picnic tables and I'm bored. The smell of food reaches my nose and my stomach immediately starts to growl, but I don't have enough money to buy anything.

"Hey Maria." Sean appears.

"Hey!"

"You waitin' for somebody?"

"Nope, I was just hoping to meet someone here."

"Well, you got me. I'm on my way to Billy's. He called us because he has some great news. Wonder what it could be. You want to come with me?"

I don't want to go to Billy's, but I'm afraid that the great news relates to Michael. And if I'm right, then I have to know what happened. "Sure."

"So…" I start after a few minutes, "what do you think the great news is?"

Sean shrugs. "I don´t know."

"Maybe it has something to do with the Bandits?"

"Yeah. That may be. Uh… by the way, are you okay?"

I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Does he really care?

"Yes, totally alright," I assert.

"And Rath really didn't ..."

"He didn't touch me, Sean, I promise."

I feel sick, when Sean knocks on Billy's door. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come here.

"Hey, Dude!" Billy greets Sean with their typical handshake and gives me a cold look.

We enter the apartment and meet the rest of the gang. "Hey Maria, how're you doin'?" Brody asks.

"She´s fine!" Billy answers for me.

"So what's the big news?" Ryan wants to know.

A big, evil grin appears on Billy's lips. "I got my revenge!" he announces proudly.

I hold my breath in horror but Billy is too busy with his ego to notice.

"What'd you do?" Brody asks, curious.

"Today, fate was on my side; I spotted Rath alone in a small, empty alley."

"Did you blow him away?" Ava asks.

"You can count on that. I'm not sure he'll ever see the sunlight again."

"You killed him?" I scream.

"I'm not sure. When I left him he was unconscious and bleeding like hell."

"I'm gonna be sick!" I hold my stomach, run to the bathroom and throw up.

_Oh my God, he probably killed him. This morning he held me and now he's probably dead. No, no, it couldn't be true. _

I pull myself together and go back to the living room. I have to be strong now. To my surprise everyone except Billy is gone.

"Weak stomach?" he asks.

I nod.

"So..." He closes the distance between us and presses me against the wall, "...what do you say, Babe? He got what he deserved. He'll never lay a hand on you again."

Billy rubs his body against mine, and I could easily throw up again.

"That was really brave of you!" I force a smile and slide my hand through his hair. I have to pretend to be happy otherwise he would lose his mind. But I have to get out of here soon.

"You´re right. And I deserve a little pleasure from you now, huh?"

_What, now? I try to find an excuse, but I can't think of anything logical._

Suddenly there is a hard knock on the door. "Billy, open the door!" Sean shouts.

I sigh with relief; that was salvation at the last second.

Billy pulls the door open. "Damn it, what's up? I'm busy right now."

"Brody..." Sean pants, "Max retaliated… he took him down hard."

"Son of a bitch!" Billy shouts and leaves the apartment with Sean.

For a moment I stand there in silence. What happened to my life? Will things get worse and worse? I leave the flat still in shock.

***

I have to think about Michael the whole time. How can I find out if he's dead or not? I have to know!

Maybe I could ask Liz? I try to remember the name of the restaurant where she works. It was something with Crash... Crashdown!

I run to the next payphone and look for the address in the yellow pages. It's not too far. If I hurry I can reach it in a few minutes. Hopefully, she'll be there.

_8 minutes later…. _

I walk into the Crashdown, breathless. "Please be there!" I whisper to myself and look around nervously.

There isn't a lot going on. I recognize a man in a suit eating a muffin and a group of teenagers. Suddenly someone taps me on my shoulder. I turn around, alarmed. I freeze when I see an old woman with a tablet in her hand.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

"Uh...,yeah, I was looking for Liz."

"Oh, her shift starts in twenty minutes. She'll be here soon. Would you like to wait?"

I nod.

"Okay, have a seat. Do you want a hot chocolate?"

I shake my head. "No, thank you. I don't have any money on me."

"It's on the house" She smiles at me.

***

Liz enters the Crashdown about ten minutes later. She looks horrible; her eyes are red and swollen.

_He´s not dead. He's not dead._ I repeat it to myself over and over again.

"What do you want here?" She asks weakly. "If someone from my gang sees you here..."

"Is he dead?" I blurt out.

She takes my hand and drags me along with her to the back room.

"Are you talking about Michael?" she asks angrily.

I nod.

"Why don't you ask Billy!" she snarls sarcastically.

I want to say something, but my lips move without making a sound. A bitter sob escapes my throat and I lay a hand over my mouth. I´m such a big crybaby lately. "I met him this morning," I begin. "I was at the park and he was jogging. We talked and ..." I have to calm down a bit, before I can go on "... I was upset and he... cared for me. He hugged me… I can't imagine that it was the last time I'll see him... I warned him about Billy´s revenge, but…."

"You care about him, too, don't you?" Liz notices.

I nod without hesitation.

"He's not dead, Maria."

"He's not?" I blink away my tears and my hope awakens.

"No, but Billy hurt him badly. He stabbed him four times. Fortunately, he missed all of the important organs. Max found him just in time. They operated on him for two hours this morning. I think it must've happened shortly after you met him."

I sink down against the wall. My hands shake. "He's not dead!" I whisper.

"You have to get out of here now, Maria. And make sure nobody from my gang sees you."

"Where is he?" I ask.

"He's at the hospital near the basketball court. But you can't go there, Maria. It´s too dangerous."

But I've already made my decision. "I don´t care!"

***


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 11  
><strong>

In front of the hospital…

I hide in a small alley, when the Bandits leave the hospital. That's good, now I can be sure that none of them are with Michael at the moment. I know that I shouldn't go inside. Max or someone else could come back at any time. But I have to see him. I have to see him alive with my own eyes.

_Will they let me see him? I'm not a relative.  
><em>  
>"Excuse me," I speak to the woman at the nurse's station, "where's Michael Guerin's room?"<p>

She checks her computer for several seconds. "Sorry, no more visits for him today. He needs rest."

_Shit. But I won´t give up so quickly.  
><em>  
>"Only for a minute, please."<p>

"Who are you?"

"His girlfriend," I answer directly. "I know, I'm not a relative, but he doesn't have any family. I had to work until now and I couldn't get here any earlier. Wouldn't you want to see your husband, if this had happened to him?"

_I got her with that one.  
><em>  
>She leans forward a little. "Okay, but only five minutes. He's in room number 245."<p>

I smile. "Thank you!"

***

I slowly open the door to his darkened room. My heart constricts painfully as I see him in the bed. He hasn't noticed me yet because his face is turned to the window. I walk over to him quietly.

His eyes are closed. I wince when I see all the machines he is connected to.

"God, what'd he do to you?" I whisper to myself in shock and have to turn around for a moment.

"Maria?" His weak voice comes from the bed.

I rush to his side.

"What're you doin' here?"

"I wanted to see you!" I blurt out. "How do you feel?"

"I feel great, can't you tell?" he says, his tone ironic.

"God, I'm so sorry," I sob, "I should've known about this! I should've prevented it!"

He manages to take my hand in his. "It's not your fault. There's nothin' you could've done."

"I thought you were dead, Michael!" I cry.

He squeezes my hand slightly. "I´m not. But how did you find me?"

"I went to Liz at the Crashdown and she told me that you were here. Then I waited until the others left and told the nurse that I'm your girlfriend… I was working late and couldn't get here any sooner."

A weak smile reaches his lips. "You're a very brave girl."

"No, I was just scared."

"You don't have to be scared anymore. Go home now. And promise me that you won't come here again. It's too dangerous and I can't protect you right now."

"Okay, I promise," I whisper.

He releases my hand and I slowly walk to the door.

"Stay away from him," Michael urges with all his strength.

"I just don't know how," I admit. "He'd come after me."

I lie in my bed tonight and shiver. It only gets colder and colder, I don't know what I'll do in December. So I close my eyes and try to remember the meeting with Michael this morning. I try to feel his warmth again, how I felt when he hugged me. I can´t stop thinking about him.

**The present **

**November 16th, 2007 – Friday - 3:30 pm**

It's been almost two weeks since Michael was hurt by Billy. I haven't heard or seen him since that day in the hospital, but I think about him every day. I want so badly to know if he's okay, but I can't do anything. I went to the Crashdown on Monday, but the nice old woman told me that Liz took a vacation.

At least I was in school every day. Kyle and Lonnie haven't been there since the fight. In the afternoons I hung out at the skate park with the others, but I didn't once go with them to Billy's. We haven't run into the Bandits the whole time. Maybe they won't show up until Michael is back to his full strength. They aren't very strong without him; I don't think that this Alex-guy is a real bad ass.

I'm glad that school is over now and I've made the decision to stay at home the entire weekend and study. But first I have to do a job interview at a supermarket. It's not a really great job; I'd have to unwrap food and place it in the shelves, but at least I could earn some money on my own. I applied on Monday and the manager asked me to come in today.

"Miss DeLuca, it's nice to meet you again. As you know, my name is Mr. Charles."

"Hi, Mr. Charles."

"So, you're still a student, right?"

"Yes, I'm in my senior year."

"Have you ever had a job before?"

"Um, no."

He asks me some more questions, they aren't really important and I wonder why he wants to know so much – but maybe it's just a formality thing.

"Okay! We´re almost done. Well, I would like to have you here, Ms. DeLuca."

"Wow, thanks, that's great."

"But first you have to bring your father or mother with you. You're under 18, so one of your parents will have to sign a consent form."

Shit.

"Uh, I don't have a father and my mother works all day. Maybe you can give me the consent form and I can give it to her to sign."

"No, sorry, she has to come here."

"Oh… okay, I'll try," I lie. I'm never gonna ask her. Damn it!

"If not, come back when you turn 18. That's in December, right?"

I nod. "Yeah!"

***

I walk home depressed.

Permission from a parent. There is no way I could take my mother with me. She wouldn't do that... and if she would do that, she would be drunk. No, thank you.

"Maria!" Someone whispers my name.

"Huh?" I turn around but can´t see anyone.

"Over here!" The voice appears again.

I blink. "Liz?" I ask surprised. "What're you doing here?"

"I've been following you since you left school."

"Why?"

She looks around nervously. "Uh, can we go somewhere else first?"

"Okay!" I take her hand and pull her into the backyard of my house. "Nobody will see us here," I promise her. "Why are you here?" My heartbeat pounds against my chest with the hope that her visit has something to do with Michael.

"Michael got home from the hospital on Wednesday," she starts.

"Wow, that's great. I was at the hospital that day... you know..."

She nods. "He told me. I wanted to ask you for a favor." Liz hesitates.

"Go on!"

"I've been so scared since the day Michael got hurt by Billy," she confesses, "and all I can think about is: What if he does something to Max, too?"

"I totally understand, Liz. But what can I do?"

"I want to ask you to call me when Billy plans something like that. I know, that's a tall order, but I can't help myself. Sorry, it was a stupid idea." She wants to leave but I hold her back.

"It's not stupid." I lay a hand on her shoulder. "But Billy won't talk to me about things like that and even if I pick up on something... I don't have a cell phone and I don't have money to use a payphone."

"Michael gave me something for you," she interrupts me.

"What is it?" I ask her, startled.

She rummages around in her bag. "Here."

"A cell phone?"

"His number is already saved in it and he loaded 20 dollars up, so you can call him in case of emergency."

"I... I don´t know what to say."

"He wants to protect you, Maria. But he doesn't know how. Max isn't aware of the fact that I'm with you now and I have a guilty conscience about it. But Michael trusts you and so I am."

"Thank you," I whisper.

"I have to leave now. Take care!"

"Liz, wait. How's Michael doin'?"

"He's okay. He wanted to come by himself to give you the cell phone, but he had a doctor's appointment today."

"Tell him thank you, okay?"

***


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13**

**And then we met again November 17th, 2007 – Saturday - 8:30 pm  
><strong>  
>I'm at home in the kitchen searching for something to eat. "We don't have anything to eat!" I state, knowing my mother can hear me.<p>

"Go and buy something if you're hungry", she answers without interest.

"Give me some money," I reply.

"Your mother isn't giving you any money." George comes out of the bathroom.

"But I'm so hungry. You're responsible for me," I say to my mum.

"Go to your room," he yells.

"I'm not talking to you," I shout back.

"I. Said. Go. To. Your. Room." George stares at me with anger. I remember my swollen cheek from two weeks ago and leave the room.

Back in my room, I lie down on my bed and wrap the blanket around me. I'm still freezing, but there is nothing I can do about it. As they do every day, my thoughts roam to Michael the second I close my eyes.

Suddenly a ringing occurs.

"What the hell?" I sit up, confused.

_The cell phone_! I totally forgot about it. I open my nightstand and pull it out.

'Michael is calling,' it says. Instantly, my heartbeat quickens and my hands get sweaty. Why is he calling me?

"Hello." I answer the phone in a nervous voice.

"Hi. It's Michael. How're you doin`?"

"Fine!" _Big lie._

"Doesn't sound like it..."

_Why does he know how I feel every time? He can't even see me._

"I just had a fight with my mom."

"So you're at home?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna meet me somewhere?"

I gasp at his question and want to scream: Yes, yes. "But aren't you still sick?"

"I'm still a little weak, but I can handle this. I need a change of scenery."

"It's dangerous," I say, making him stop and think.

"It is," he admits.

I don't know what to say. Of course, I want to meet him, but wouldn't that just make everything worse?

"Maria?"

I breathe out. "Okay, where should I go?"

***

We decided to meet at an outlying subway station. I glance around as I step out of the vehicle, but I can't see him. Maybe he hasn't arrived yet? I put on my cap and walk away from the tracks.

Suddenly I see a male figure at the end of a passage. He makes me a sign to follow, it has to be him. I scout around one more time to make sure nobody followed me, and then I go after him.

Michael is waiting for me around a corner, leaning against the wall. He wears a beanie and over it a hood. I smile a little when I see him. "You look like a gangster!"

He smirks and comes up to me. "I won't rob you, promise."

"Well, you wouldn't find anything to steal anyway."

"But I could've kidnapped you."

"Again?"

He shrugs, and then – to my surprise – takes my hand.

"Good to see you in an upright position again," I add softly.

He gives me a wink. "Let's go."

"Where're we goin`?"

"To a little bar I know where no one will see or recognize us. It's too cold to stay outside."

"Okay." We walk in silence until we reach the building Michael mentioned. He never let go of my hand.

"Let's go in the back. I don't think that anyone from my gang or yours even knows about this bar, but just to make sure…"

We take a seat at the other end of the room and Michael grimaces as he takes off his jacket.

"Are you okay?" I ask quietly. "Should I help you?"

"No, it's okay. It still hurts a little sometimes, but I can stand this. But...", he slides next to me after he's finally gotten rid of his jacket, "maybe I could help you with yours?" He shoots a flirty grin at me.

"But I'm not hurt..." I babble, unsure.

"I know. Does that matter?" He lays his fingers at the collar of my coat.

"Uh… I guess not."

"Good answer." He slowly unzips my jacket and pulls it off. I shiver as his hands run down my arms.

"When did you last eat, Maria? You look thinner than the last time I saw you."

"Uhm... I... can´t remember," I admit.

He looks at me, shocked. "You don't think you're fat or something, do you?"

"No, no, I´m not. I was just a little... busy the last few days. I forgot about eating, that's all."

_Oh, I'm so winning an award for being a liar!  
><em>  
>"Busy, huh?" He doesn't buy it. "What've you been doin' then?"<p>

"Um... a lot of learning, searching for a job, I met my gang a few times."

His muscles tighten at the mention of my gang.

"I just stayed at the skate park with them. I didn't go home to Billy or anything. I avoided him as much and inconspicuously as I could."

"That's good," Michael says, relieved. "The waitress is coming up. What d'you want?"

"I don't have any money with me," I mumble, ashamed.

"That's okay, I've got it. So..?"

"You don't have to..."

"I know, but I will, okay?"

"Okay," I whisper, "...a hot chocolate, please."

"Hey, welcome to our pub. What can I get you?" the tall blonde asks.

"A hot chocolate, a coke, and a big serving of fries for the lady." He gestures at me.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

"What? I didn´t say I wanted fries."

"I know. But I'm gonna make you eat something, cause you look like a ghost."

"Thank you. You're not exactly looking all that healthy either."

"Yeah, 'cause I was almost stabbed; you don't have that excuse."

I wince at the mention of the stabbing. I still can't believe what had happened to him. I'm so glad that he's sitting right next to me at this moment. His arm is stretched out behind me on the backrest. If I were to lean back…

"Were you successful with the job search?" he asks, changing the subject.

_Damn it. Why does he always have to ask about the things I don't want to talk about_? I shake my head.

"Where'd you apply?"

"At some supermarkets – but they don't need anyone. Maybe I'll find something next week."

Then the waitress comes again. "Here you are. Enjoy!"

The moment I see the fries my stomach starts to rumble. Michael hears it – of course.

"Hungry, huh?" He takes one of the fries and shoves it into his mouth.

"Hey, I thought these fries were for me?" I complain with a smile.

"They are... mostly." He takes another one and act as if he wants to eat it, but at the last moment he sticks it into my mouth.

"Yummy. I almost forgot how delicious they are."

It's almost midnight when we arrive back at the subway station, walking in silence. Sadly, Michael hasn't taken my hand this time. I wish he had.

"When's your subway coming?" he asks.

"In a moment," I respond. "You're walking home?"

"Yeah, it's not too far from here."

"What'd you tell Max you were doing this evening?"

"He and Liz took off this morning to spend some time together. He won't notice that I was gone."

"I think I have to go..." I mention, nodding at the arriving subway train.

"Yeah."

"Oh, I haven't said thank you for the cell phone..."

"Don't worry about it." Then he lightly pulls me into his arms for a second. "And call me, if you need anything, okay? Or even if you just want to talk."


	14. Chapter 14

**Part 14**

**When you want to escape your life November 23rd, 2007 – Friday - 3:30 pm**

I went to school with a new plan this week. It´s called: Try to listen to your teacher. And – who would have thought it – it actually works. Kyle and Lonnie stayed out of my way the entire week, maybe Michael had something to do with this?

Today Billy and Sean are waiting for me in front of the school. I saw them too late, so now I have to deal with them.

"Hey!" I greet as nice as I can and try to force a smile.

"Why're you avoiding us?" Billy comes straight to the point.

"I'm not avoiding you," I deny. "I was just busy. I was looking for a job and studying."

"So you're a nerd now?" He takes my books from me.

"Give them back!" I try to stay cool and confident, but he throws them into a nearby puddle.

"Oops!" He makes a fake startled face, grabs me my shoulder hard, and drags me along with him for a few meters.

"I swear if there's someone else behind this, I'll kill him ... and you!"

I pull away from him. "There isn't."

"We'll see. Come by my place at 5:00 pm."

"I…" I try to find an excuse, but come up empty.

"You'll be there, or else I'll come and get you. Got the message?" He glares at me in anger.

I nod. "Okay." Then he leaves and I bend down to pick up my dirty, soaked books. "Great," I mutter under my breath.

***

I knock on Billy's apartment door with a shaking hand.

_Why does he want me to be here?  
><em>  
>He opens the door. "You're late!"<p>

"Sorry, the first subway was too crowded." And I was in no hurry to see you.

I enter the apartment and sigh with relief as I see that the others are there, too. Thank God, I´m not alone with him.

"So, now that we're all here, will you tell us why we're here?" Ryan asks Billy.

"I've got news: I saw Rath today. Sad to say, he seems to be alright again," he starts. A murmur goes through the room, but I stay silent and bite my bottom lip.

"Bad weeds grow tall!" Sean replies emotionlessly.

"Too true! We're gonna have to be careful now... Without Rath they're nothing, but when he´s fit again, they may call for retaliation soon."

"And what should we do? Hide in our apartments?" Brody says.

"Of course not. We´re not gutless. Just be careful."

"That´s all, man? Cause there's a hot chick waiting to get laid." Ryan grins and high-fives Billy.

"Sure! Get out of here and fuck that bitch." He turns in my direction. "Wanna fuck me?" he asks, but it sounds more like an order.

"Sorry, I'm on my period." Wow, quick excuse. If I could, I would pat my own back.

Billy grimaces. "Eww, disgusting. Well, I've gotta find someone else then."

His remark hurts me, even if I don´t care about him.

"So, Brody… Sean… were can we meet some chicks? Girls, you stay at home this weekend. You don't go out in public."

Ava nods obediently.

"It's getting dark. Can we go home now?" I ask and try not to sound as pissed as I am.

He seems to think about it for a moment. "Leave," is all he says.

***

I rummage around in my bag to find the key for the front door. "Where are you?" I murmur to myself and then I finally find it.

"What the...?" I try to put it in the lock, but it doesn't work. I think there must be another key in the lock at the other side of the door.

"Great. This day really sucks."

I knock on the door, but – of course – nothing happens. "Mom!" I shout. "Open the door, I can´t come in; you left your key in the lock."

Still nothing.

"MOM!" I yell, louder.

"Shut up." A voice behind the door yells back – it´s George.

"Then let me in."

"We don´t want to see you right now."

"But I live here." I desperately try to convince him to open the door.

"Not today. Go somewhere else."

"There's no place I can go. Mom, are you there? Please, just let me go to my room. Please Mom, don´t listen to that bastard. I'm your daughter." My voice sound so desperate at the end of the sentence.

"Shut up, bitch," George howls.

Tears cloud my eyes as I silently stare a moment longer at the locked door, then I go back outside and shiver as the cold wind blows in my face.

I stand in the in the middle of the street and look to the left then to the right. Where should I go? There is no place where I can go. Billy is not an option, of course; Sean hangs around with him, and Ava would never let me stay at her place.

***

I stayed at one of the malls until it closed at 8pm, looking at all these things I could never afford. At least it was warm and dry.

The smell of food in the air made me very hungry, but I don´t have a single penny to spend. So I´m sitting on a bench in the subway station right now because it's been raining for hours outside. I pull my legs against my body and wrap my arms around them to keep me warm but it doesn't help much. My eyes close every now and then; I'm so tired, but I know that I mustn´t fall asleep outside – it´s too cold.

Suddenly, someone rouses me out of my light doze. "Look at the bitch."

I turn in the direction where the voice had come from and spot Lonnie and Michael. My heart pounds as he meets my gaze, but I know that he can´t be nice to me when someone from his gang is around so I just answer weakly, "Leave me alone," and turn away.

"Come on, it´s cold," I hear Michael say to her.

"But she's alone, Rath. At least we could annoy her a little."

"I'm not interested. Come on, I wanna find something to eat."

He pulls her away from me and they disappear into one of the trains. I exhale and try not to be disappointed.

***

Only a few minutes had passed when my cell phone starts to beep.

'One unread message', it says. It takes me a while to open it and I smile a little when I see the name of the sender. Of course it's from Michael. Who else?

WHAT'RE YOU DOIN' OUTSIDE? IT´S COLD – GO HOME!

"Easier said than done!" I murmur to myself.

I try to answer the message – but I've never had a cell phone before so it takes a few minutes.

I CAN´T GO HOME RIGHT NOW. BUT DON`T WORRY, I`ll MANAGE.

Preferably, I want to ask him to come back here again, but I won´t. He can´t change my situation and I don´t want to bother him. Besides, he's still hurt and it's too dangerous.

I stare at the phone in my hand. Will he text again? The renewed beep releases me from the waiting.

I´LL CALL YOU AFTER I GOT RID OF LONNIE.

I'm so excited as I read his short sentence. Even though I know it´s wrong... I'm impatient to hear his voice again.

***

An hour has passed since his last text – but nothing; no call, no message. Maybe he forgot about me? How could he forget me while I was thinking about him the whole time?

I stand up and walk around a little, because my feet are very cold and they ache. Where should I go? I can't stay here all night. Homeless people will arrive soon as they seek a little shelter from the cold wind. They won't accept my presence here.

Suddenly – and finally – my cell phone starts to ring. I nervously pull it out of my bag. What will he say?

"Yeah!" I answer the phone.

"Hey, it's Michael. Sorry, took me a while to get rid of her. Where are you?"

"Still where you saw me last," I confess, my voice shivering.

I can hear him sigh at the other end.

"Okay, you wanna meet me at the park? You know... where we met once before?"

I know that I should say no and hang up because he's not able to help me, but I just can´t say those words out loud.

"Maria?" he asks again.

"Yeah," I reply quietly. "I… I wanna meet you."

***

He's already there, leaning against a tree, when I get to the park. I try to find something to say to him when I reach him, but nothing smart and intelligent comes to mind. So I stop in front of him and just say, "Hi."

"Hey!" He takes a step forward. "I brought you a pullover from home. You've gotta be really cold."

I nod. "Thank you." Then I pull it over my head. It's way too big, but I don´t care.

He shoves his hands in his pockets. "You wanna take a walk?"

Again, I nod silently.

"Tell me what´s wrong?" Michael asks directly.

"Nothing!" I deny without conviction.

"You look horrible!" he declares.

"Thank you. That's just what I wanted to hear," I snarl at him.

"But it's the truth. You look like you haven´t slept or eaten in days. I´ve always imagined that Billy's the only trouble in your life, but I was wrong, right?"

I don't answer. I can't. I would start to cry the moment I begin to speak.

He scratches his eyebrow. "Maria, how am I supposed to help you when you won´t tell me anything?"

"I didn't ask you to help me, Michael." I almost scream at him, because my emotions are so overwhelming. "Because you can´t help me... you can´t change... my situation."

We stop and stare at each other; tears are streaming down my cheeks. I want to turn away to hide my face from him, but he grabs my wrist.

"Come here!" He pulls me against his chest and loops his arms around me. "You're so cold!" he whispers into my hair.

I hold onto him desperately. "Everyody wants to get rid of me or lies to me," I sob quietly into his jacket, my whole body quivering.

"I won't!" he promises in a soft tone.

He pulls his cell phone out without letting me go.

"Liz? It's Michael."

"You alone?"

"Can you distract Max for a while? Take him out for dinner or something."

"Maria's gonna sleep at my place tonight. I´ll explain later."

I look up at him in horror, shaking my head and mouth the word NO without making a sound. He calmly stares at me and continues talking to Liz.

"Okay, call me when you´re leaving." Then he hangs up the phone.

"No, Michael. I can't sleep at your place. It's too dangerous. What happens when someone from your gang drops by?"

"Liz will distract Max for a while so we can get into my apartment unseen. We'll have to be qiuet tomorrow morning, but it'll work. Kyle, Lonnie and Alex don´t come to my apartment uninvited."

"But..." I start again. I don't want him to risk anything for me.

He presses a finger against my lips. "It's okay. Nobody will know."

I hope he´s right. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Part 15  
><strong>

One hour later...

Michael turns the key and opens his apartment door. I don't feel comfortable with the whole situation and I look back into the hallway to make sure that nobody has seen us.

He kicks the door shut behind us, takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom. "You're taking a bath now to get warm, okay? After that, I´m gonna make you something to eat."

Michael sits down on the edge of the tub and turns on the faucet. The moisture from the warm water rises as he pours some bubble bath into it. Then he stands up, grabs a big towel from the shelf and comes over to me again. "Stay in there as long as you want."

He leaves the bathroom and I stare at the closed door a moment longer, before I strip my clothes off and let my body sink into the warm water. I sigh and close my eyes.

Thirty minutes later, the water is getting cold and I decide that it's time to step out. I secure the towel around my body and walk over to the mirror. He was right – I do look horrible. There are bags under my eyes, my skin looks pale and my lips are raw from the cold.

There is a soft knock on the door. "You can come in," I reply.

I watch Michael in the mirror as he carefully opens the door. "You need somethin' to wear? I brought a t-shirt and some boxer shorts for you."

He comes toward me, sets the clothes down on the sink and looks at my reflection in the mirror from behind me.

"Thank you."

He nods as his gaze roams further and stops at the light bruise, courtesy of Billy's painful grip on my shoulder this afternoon. I know that he wants to ask me about it, but he stays silent and bites his tongue. I can see the muscles of his neck tighten. "I've got some frozen lasagna, you want some?"

"I love lasagna." A small smile escapes my lips.

He slightly smiles back at me and then I watch him leave.

I have to tell him the truth.

***

I enter the living room after putting on Michael's clothes.

"Have a seat on the couch. The lasagna still needs some time in the oven."

"Okay." I slip down on the sofa and watch him moving around in the kitchen. He's doing the dishes or something.

Okay, DeLuca, time to take your courage in both hands.

"Michael?" I ask hesitantly.

He turns around. "Yeah?"

"Can we talk?" My voice sounds uneasy.

"Sure!" He leans his weight on the counter and looks at me in expectation.

I breathe out and sit up straight. "I...It´s not so easy for me, you know... to tell you all these things." My gaze drops to the ground because I'm uncertain and nervous. "Look, there are a few things in my life... that really suck." I gulp for air and try to go on, but no words escape my lips.

Michael leaves the kitchen and comes over to the couch. He grabs a blanket from the armchair, wraps it around me and sits down beside me. "Tell me why you can't go home tonight, Maria."

I nod and try to find a point where I can start. "The door was locked and I couldn't get in after I left Billy's apartment.

"Billy? You were with Billy?" he asks, sounding a little alarmed.

"I had no choice. He came by school today and said he'll come and get me when I don't come to his apartment."

"Did he hurt you?"

I lift my gaze to meet his eyes. My fingers are pulling the collar of his t-shirt, which I'm wearing, to the side, to show him the bruise on my shoulder again.

Michael clenches his fists. "Anywhere else?" He says with gritted teeth.

I shake my head. "No."

"Why'd he want you to come to his place?"

"The others were there, too. He just wanted to let us know that he had seen you on the street and that you've almost recovered. He told us to be careful."

"He'd better be careful!" Michael growls. "I'm gonna beat the shit out of him."

"Michael, no!" I grab his arm and look at him directly. "No! He's dangerous and he will kill you. And I... I don't want to lose you."

He stares at me for a few seconds and then changes the subject. "Tell me what happened later, when you got home."

"Like I said, I couldn't get in."

"You lost your key or something?"

"No. There was another key in the lock from the inside. I couldn't unlock the door from the outside."

"But if there was a key on the inside... somebody had to be at home, right?" He furrows his brow.

I laugh bitterly. "Yeah, my drunk mother and George."

"George?"

"My mom's bimbo. He hates me and he wants to get rid of me. I didn't know my real father…"

"Was he the one who slapped you the day we met in the park?"

"Yeah," I croak and look at my hands.

"Damn it," he half-screams, and then struggles for control again.

"Sorry. It's just... I can't believe that they're beating you."

"It's okay," I answer softly.

"No, it's not okay."

"Well, anyway, back to the original story. They didn't let me in and there's no other place I could've gone." I try to suppress the tears I can feel coming on.

He wraps his arm around me and pulls me against his chest. "My mom doesn't care about me anymore. It's so cold in my room, because they shut our gas off and we have nothing to eat. She wastes all the money on alcohol."

I have to stop for a moment because there is a lump in my throat. I have to calm down. Michael threads his fingers through my hair and squeezes my body against him.

"I have no money and I can't get a job. I've tried, but I'm under 18 – they need the permission of a parent and as you can imagine, I can't exactly take my drunk mother to an appointment to sign the papers."

I lean back to gaze into his eyes. "Thank you for letting me stay here tonight."

"I wish I could do more," he answers pensively.

I shake my head. "No, don't ever think that. It's more than enough." I let my body sink back against his chest and feel it rise and fall with his every breath. I want to lay my hand on his stomach, but hesitate. Would it still hurt him?

He seems to read my mind and lifts his shirt a bit – revealing a large bandage. "It's not so bad anymore."

"Billy! That motherfuckin' coward!"

"I'm right there with you." He pulls his t-shirt down again and his hand remains at the hem. I stare at it for a while before I muster the courage to place my hand over his and my fingers slide between his.

"What's next, Michael? Because I really don't know," I admit quietly.

He squeezes my hand lightly. "We'll figure something out. For now, you should eat your lasagna."

***

"I'm so tired," I murmur and shift my position on the couch.

"Wanna go to bed?"

"Uh-huh!"

He goes to the bathroom first, then it's my turn. I stand up and stumble to the bathroom sleepily.

"You wanna sleep in the bed? I can take the couch!" he calls from the living room.

I dry my hands, turn around, and pause at the entryway. "Sleep with me in the bed?" I ask shyly.

"Okay." Michael starts to pull his shirt off and grimaces in pain. He loosens the bandage from his stomach and I can see the still-tender scars where Billy wounded him. He takes a tube of salve from the shelf next to him, but it falls out of his hands and under the bed.

"Shit," he swears quietly.

I slowly walk over to him and stop him from kneeling down on the floor. "Let me help you," I say softly, and pick the salve up from the floor.

"Lie down," I tell him.

"Maria, you don't have to ..."

"Stop talking and lie down," I repeat calmly.

This time he obeys and stretches out on the blankets. I open the little tube and prewarm the salve on my fingers before I brush it against the wounds on his stomach.

"Does it still hurt much?"

"No, it's fine." Michael answers.

I look at him doubtfully. "Don't lie to me."

"It gets better every day. Don't worry."

"Okay, I'm done. Sit up, so I can put a new bandage over those wounds."

I support him as he lifts his upper body from the bed. "Raise your arms a little."  
>I wrap the bandage around his stomach.<p>

He winces in pain. "Too tight?" I ask.

"No, just right. Thank you."

We stare at each other in silence and I sink into his deep brown eyes. My hand still rests on his shoulder and I can feel his warm, soft skin beneath my fingertips.

'Take your hand away,' my mind screams, but I just sit there frozen. His gaze roams to my mouth and it makes me gasp.

Oh my God, is he going to kiss me?

My heart races with this realization. I've never thought about it. Do I want to kiss him? Maybe...

Suddenly we hear sounds from the apartment below. "Max and Liz are coming home," he declares and lays down. "Don't worry, Max won't show up."

I nod and lie down, too. A little disappointment courses through my body and I close my eyes as I imagine what a kiss from Michael would have felt like. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Part 16  
><strong>

**When you want someone you shouldn´t Novemerber 24th, 2007 – Saturday – 9:00 am  
><strong>

For the first moments, I don't know where I am when I wake up. But slowly, the memory of the day before comes back. Oh, it was a crappy day, well, at least until I met Michael.

I turn my head to look at him; he stirs lightly and opens his eyes sleepily.

"Morning," he murmurs and closes his eyes again.

I smile at him. He looks so cute with his hair in his face. I wish I could stay forever.

"I have to go, huh?" I ask quietly.

It takes him a moment to respond. "What time is it?"

"Nine o'clock."

"You can stay for a while," he says and rolls to his side to come face to face with me. "Max goes to the fitness center every Saturday morning. He won´t be back until lunch."

"Oh, okay."

"Want some breakfast?"

"Sure."

He rolls back onto his back and rubs his eyes. "You can have the bathroom first. I´m gonna make some coffee." He pushes himself up from the bed. "Fucking bandage," he grumbles.

***

He's already set the table when I come out from the bathroom. I take a seat on one of the barstools at the counter and inhale the wonderful aroma of fresh coffee.

"Smells good," I rave.

"Enjoy, it's the only cooking skill I have. "

I laugh. "Fast food junkie, huh?"

"Kind of."

"Tell me something about you."

"Why?" He looks at me, puzzled.

I shrug. "Cause it's a little weird, you know? I mean, I've told you so much about me and … and I don´t know much about you. Well, except for the fact that you're a Bandit and you can´t cook."

"That´s more than anyone else, outside of the Bandits, know about me."

"Not very much..." I state.

"All right, ask me something and maybe I'll answer."

"Okay," I stuff a cookie in my mouth, "how did you become a member of the Bandits?"

"I met Max, Lonnie and Kyle at the children´s home, when I was four. We spent a lot of years there together and Max joked around about us and called us the Bandits… it just stuck. That's pretty much it."

"So you were at that place for your whole childhood?"

"Almost, yeah. We ran away a lot, but of course, we always got caught again. At the age of 16 we made an application for emancipation and – I still don't know why – we got the approval. Maybe the staff at the children's home was sick of us, but Max' little brother had to stay there. We all got jobs and moved into an apartment together."

"You all lived together?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah, until the day Max met Liz. He totally fell in love with her from the first day and a few weeks later Max decided that Liz and her best friend Alex had to become members of the Bandits. I was sick of being around Lonnie and Kyle all the time and I rented this apartment."

"I hope I'll get out of my flat soon, too. But without any money... At least I will turn 18 in December."

***

One hour later...

"I should go now." I push myself up from the couch and walk through the door.

"You think you'll be able to get inside when you go home today?" Michael asks, concerned.

"Yeah, I think so. I hope…"

He goes to his jacket and fumbles in the pocket. "Here, take this." He thrusts 20 dollars into my hand.

"No," I give it back to him, "I´m not taking money from you."

"Maria," he reaches for my hand and puts the money back in it, "it's damn cold outside and that's not gonna change anytime soon. Take the damn money and buy something hot to eat now and then. Maybe I can´t pay your gas bill, but I won´t let you go with nothing." He looks at me seriously and lets me know that he won´t tolerate any protest.

I nod slightly. "Okay... thank you… for everything." I stare at the ground in abashment. "Promise me you'll stay away from Billy," I plead. I remember something Billy said to me yesterday.

_"I swear if there's someone else behind this, I'll kill him ... and you!"  
><em>  
>"I won´t run away from him, I´m not some pussy."<p>

"But look what he did to you." I motion to his stomach.

"I'll keep my eyes open, okay?"

"Last time you said that, I had to visit you in a hospital," I whisper.

"Not this time. Don't worry about me. Just promise me that you'll watch yourself."

He's still holding my hand and now he pulls me into his arms. I lean my head on his shoulder and inhale his smell. _Oh, Michael Guerin, I love your scent_.

He loops his strong arms around my waist and rests his chin atop my head.

"Call me, when you get home, okay?" he says, as he ends our hug, too fast.

"If you want me to."

Suddenly I feel his warm lips at my forehead, and then he moves out of my way to hold the door open for me and I stumble down the stairs, dazed.

I sigh with relief as the front door to my flat opens. Thank God, I don´t have to sleep on the street tonight.

My mother and George are in the kitchen, huge bags held in their hands. "What're you doin'?" I ask, startled and bypassing a greeting.

"Your mother's moving out; she'll live at my place now."

"WHAT? You can´t leave me alone!"

"Watch us!"

I turn to my mother. "Mom, you want to leave me here?"

She looks at me drunkenly.

"I don't have any money, how am I supposed to pay the rent? You want me to live on the streets?" I run to her side and shake her. "Talk to me!"

"Maria,..." she croaks.

George pushes me away from her harshly. "Get out of our way."

"No!" I angrily stand up in front of him. "You're a bastard, you´re taking my mother away from me!" I scream at him.

"Shut up, you little bitch!" he yells and shoves me again. I start to stumble and crash to the ground.

They go to the front door. "Mom!" I cry.

She turns around and looks at me, her features emotionless.

"How can you leave me? Wake up! He's a jerk. Don't turn away from me."

For a moment, she seems to be confused, but then she walks out the door.

"I hate you!" I bawl after her when the door shuts. I stare at the ground in shock. What just happened? I can't believe it. It has to be a nightmare or something, she wouldn´t leave me like this, would she?

Suddenly a wave of sadness washes over my body and I start to cry bitterly. I cry so much that I can hardly breathe.

Minutes, maybe an hour passes until I push myself up from the ground and walk to my room. I crash onto my bed, pull the blanket around me, and grab the Teddy I got from my grandma. "How can she leave me?" I whisper again and again.

Suddenly, my cell phone starts to ring. Michael, shit I forgot to call him. I don´t want to speak to him right now, cause he shouldn´t worry about me all the time. But when I don´t answer the phone, he'll worry about me, too, right?

"Yeah," my voice sounds weak.

"Where are you?" Michael asks tersely.

"At home, I know I..."

"Damn it, Maria, why you don´t use that phone? I asked you to call me, remember?" He's pissed.

"Sorry!" I squawk, as new sobs begin to strangle me.

"Did something happen?" he asks, calmer now.

"She left me," I breathe, afraid that the realization will hit me again hard, when I say it out loud.

"Who?"

"My mom. She moved out with George and left me. How am I supposed to pay the rent? And I don´t want to know how much money we owe our landlord."

I can hear him grunt.

"At least George won't hit me again." I try to find something positive in all the mess.

"Listen, Maria. We'll think of something, okay? For now you have the 20 dollars I gave you. Buy some food and try to avoid your landlord. And don't stay at Billy´s at night."

"Okay."

"I have to hang up now. Max is waiting for me at his apartment."

"Goodbye then." I whisper.

"Bye. I´ll call you tomorrow."

I lay the cell phone on the bed and pick up a picture, which stands on my nightstand. It shows my grandma, my mother and me on a sunny day in Central Park. We had worn beautiful dresses, decorated with lots of flowers. It reminds me of the great times we had together in the past. Today, there's nothing left.


	17. Chapter 17

**Part 17**

**Life must go on Novemerber 26th, 2007 – Monday – 16:30 pm**

After school...

I set the grocery bag aside to find my key for the front door in my bag. I bought some food, pencils and a writing pad for school from the 20 dollars Michael gave me. I think it will be enough for a while.

I have decided that my life must go on and I can´t look back all the time. Yeah, my mom is gone, I don´t have money and it´s cold – but I can´t change these things. But maybe I can survive long enough to turn 18.

"Hey Maria, can I help you?" Sean stands up in front of me.

_Oh no, I don´t want to see one of them today. _

"Hey! No thanks, I just found my key." I open the door and slip into the flat. Sean follows me with the grocery bag, which I had set on the ground.

"Where's Aunt Amy?" he wants to know.

"She ran off!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"She moved in with her bimbo George, and left me."

"Is that the reason why you haven't been showin' up lately?"

"Yeah, I have a job now to earn some money."

"Cool. I´m on my way to the skate park, you want to join me?"

_NO! Leave me alone!_

"Um, I don't know, I´m so tired."

"You should come with me. At least for an hour, okay? I know it´s bullshit, but Billy still thinks that you're cheating on him with someone else."

I feel sick to my stomach but try to act cool. "Yeah, like you said total bullshit."

"So you're coming with me then?" Sean smiles.

"Fine," I give in.

***

_At the skate park...  
><em>

"Oh look, Ms. DeLuca graces us with her presence." Billy comes up to me on his skateboard and glares angrily.

"Never mind. She's had some problems lately." Sean tries to calm him down.

Billy grimaces. "Poor girl," he says sarcastically.

"Hey Billy," Ryan shouts from the background, "you practiced the move I showed you yesterday?"

"Yeah, I did it." He skates away from me and I take a seat next to Ava.

"Hey!" she greets me.

"Hey!"

"Where've you been the last few days?"

"I'm in trouble at home and I have a job now to earn some money."

She nods. "Can I ask you something?"

I look at her, puzzled. She never really talks to me. "Sure."

"What kind of people are they?"

"They?"

"The Bandits, I mean."

I shrug. "They're not that different from us, I think. Just some young people with problems."

The boys interrupt us and sit down next to us. Billy's hand wanders over my thigh, but I try to ignore it. There's a hickey on his neck – it´s definitely not from me – but I don´t care. I just wish Michael had kissed me last night, too.

"So guys, what do you think? Should we go to the basketball court? Maybe the Bandits are around. I never get sick of beating up on them." Billy grins.

"Me, too!" Ryan says and high fives Billy.

"I can´t wait to punish Rath again."

I want to slap him in the face and scream at him, but all I can do is to stay calm.

"Okay, let´s go then," Brody states and stands up.

"I'm not coming with you," I say quietly.

"What? I can´t hear you." Billy pulls me to a standing position.

"I said, I'm not coming with you! My shift at work starts in an hour and I have to go home and change my clothes."

"Pity!" Brody says.

But Billy won´t let me go with that. He drags me along with him for a few meters.

"Where are you really going now?"

"To work. That´s the truth. Wanna come with me?"

_Please say no, or else I'm stuck. _

"No, I don´t care. Just to let you know: If you're jerking me around, I will find out and then you´ll see." He shoves me aside and walks back to the others.

"Bye Maria," Sean shouts after me.

***

I pull the cell phone out of my pocket and dial Michael´s number.

"Yeah." He answers after a short time.

"Michael? Where are you?"

"At home, why?"

"Good!" I sigh with relief.

"Is something wrong?" he wants to know, puzzled.

"Uhm, no, no. Everything is fine. Billy and the others are on their way to the basketball court and I just wanted to know if you're there. But you´re not."

"No, Kyle and Lonnie are at the fitness center, Max, Liz and Alex went to the mall, I think. And I´m bored shitless."

I smile slightly. It's so good to hear his voice again. "What are you doin`? It's kind of loud in the background."

"I'm just getting rid of the others and walking home now to do some homework."

"You think you could cancel your last two classes tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it´s only gym class, but why?"

"It might be that I have a job for you."

"Are you serious?" I ask, excited.

"So you´re interested?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course I am."

He chuckles. "Good. I´ll will wait for you at the subway station where we met before at 1:00 pm."

"Okay. Thank you!"

I hang up the phone with a big smile on my lips.

**New rising hope – keen disappoinment Novemerber 27th, 2007 – Tuesday – 12:55 pm**

I step out of the subway and can already see Michael at the end of the passage.

"Hey," I can't prevent the big smile as I reach him.

"Hey," he smiles back, "you look good."

I look down at myself. _What does he mean? I'm not wearing anything special. _

"Not so pale and exhausted like the last time," He explains. "Okay, come on." He takes my hand in his.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a restaurant not far from here. Kate Wilson, my boss's wife, is the owner."

***

"Hi Michael, how are you doin´?" The tall woman greets him warmly.

"It's getting better. I'll be back at work soon."

"That's good. My husband really needs you in the shop; he comes home overworked every day."

Then she turns to me. "And you have to be Maria." Kate shakes my hand and smiles. "Michael told me you need a job, but that your parents won't give you permission?"

Michael and I exchange a quick glance. "Yes, that´s right, Mrs. Wilson."

"Oh dear, call me Kate, please."

"Okay, Kate."

"So, we're looking for a dishwasher at the moment. We can´t make a real job offer as long as you´re underaged. But you could come here after school for a few hours and clean the kitchen. I´ll pay you 20 dollars a day from petty cash. I know it´s not much, but you can also eat for free here."

"Sounds fantastic!" I beam at her with joy, and then look at Michael, who nods.

"And when you turn 18, you could be employed as a waitress here, with a better pay rate of course."

"I... I don´t know what to say," I stumble over the words.

"Well, just say that you'll accept our deal."

"Of course I will! I just can´t believe it... When... when should I start?"

"Right now – if you want to."

"Sure!"

Kate laughs. "I really like you, Maria. Okay, I´m going back inside now. Follow me, once you've said goodbye to Michael." She turns and leaves us alone.

"Wow... I... thank you so much, Michael." With little hesistation, I throw myself into his arms and hug him tightly.

He runs his fingers through my hair. "You wanna sleep at my place tonight?" he whispers in my ear. It gives me a chill when his breath brushes against my neck.

I lean back slightly. "And what about Max?"

"He's out of town until Thursday, his boss sent him to ... uh... I don´t remember, but it´s far away. I´ll make sure that the others won´t show up either."

"You won't cook for me, will you?" I ask with a smirk.

He laughs. "No, but I can buy a pizza… or you could cook for us."

"Sound great. So, I´ll see you this evening then?"

"Yeah." He loosens his grip around my waist and I take a step back.

"Maria, are you coming?" Kate calls from the kitchen.

"Yeah!"

Michael winks at me and turns to leave.


	18. Chapter 18

**Part 18  
><strong>

Kate shows me the whole restaurant at first. It's a really nice place with a lot of charm. "So, finally, this is our kitchen, we rebuilt it last summer," she announces proudly.

"April, come here, I want to introduce you to Maria." A young woman, maybe a year or two older than me approaches us.

"Hey." She shakes my hand.

"April, this is Maria, she will be our dishwasher for the next few weeks. Maria, this is April, she´s my daughter and helps me a lot with the restaurant."

"Nice to meet you," I smile at her. She seems very pleasant to me.

"My dear, be a doll and show Maria what to do in the kitchen, okay? I have to get the food orders ready."

"Sure!"

Kate smiles and leaves the kitchen.

"Okay, let's get started. First thing you should do every day is clean the range, the oven, and the steamer. We have some special cleaner for it, so it won't be that bad."

I nod. "Understood."

***

The past hour, April had shown me all the things I have to do over the next few days. I never thought that there was so much to do in a kitchen.

"Okay, we´re done. Let´s get down to brass tacks." She looks at me meaningfully. "You came here with Michael Guerin?" It's more an inquisition than a simple question.

"Yeah!" I wonder where this conservation will lead to?! Does she know me from somewhere? Does she know I´m a Hurricane and he's a Bandit. That could be bad.

"Is he your boyfriend?" She grins from ear to ear.

"Uh... no..." I stutter.

_What are we? I really don't know… friends? Comrades? Mates? Lovers? No, no, definitely not lovers… well, not yet…. Oh god, I'm running off the track now.  
><em>  
>"We... we´re just friends, I guess." I have to say something.<p>

"WHAT?" She shrieks. "How can you just be friends? I mean, Michael Guerin ! ! ! – he's like the hottest guy in the world. He's appearance practically screams: SEX! Don't you think?"

"Well, maybe."

"Maybe? Maria, are you blind or something? Ohhhhh! I understand. You already have another boyfriend, right?"

"Um, no!" My whole body refuses to still regard Billy as my boyfriend.

"You're a lesbian?"

"What?" I rip my eyes open in consternation. "NO! I'm not."

April laughs. "Sorry, it's just that I can´t believe you´re not interested in him."

"I didn´t say that."

"After all, no woman can resist him. I think even my mother would like to get into his pants, if she wasn't too old for him. So, will you see him again today?"

"I'm kind of sleep at his apartment tonight, so yeah...!"

She gasps. "You are so lucky, Maria."

_Lucky? Me? I don´t think so. Not at all.  
><em>

It was 7:00 pm when I left the restaurant with my first earned 20 dollars. I'm so proud, and so glad that Michael organized this for me. Then I walked to my flat to pick up some stuff for the night and school. And now as I reach the front door of Michael's apartment I reach up and knock.

Michael opens the door with a soft smile on his lips. "Hey," he reaches for the bag in my left hand, "how was your first day at your new job?"

"It was really cool. Kate and her daughter, April were so nice to me. Thank you so much, Michael." I won´t mention the littel conservation between April and me.

"It's cool! I've known them for a long time. What do you want to eat? I went to the supermarket this afternoon and bought a few things."

"Can I shower first? I smell a little greasy, I think."

He snuffles at my hair. "Yeah, did you take a bath in the deep fryer?" He grins mischievously.

I slap him on the shoulder. "No! But, thank you!"

"Kidding!"

A knock on the door interrupts us and I look at him alarmed.

"It's Liz!" A soft voice comes through the door and I sigh. Michael walks to the door and opens it.

"Hey Liz, what´s up?"

"Do you have any good dvd´s? I don´t have to work this evening and I´m so bored without Max being around."

"You can check my films out and see if there is one you like, c'mon in."

She enters the room and comes into my field of vision. "Hey Liz," I greet her quietly.

"Hey, Maria." She smiles at me and doesn't look surprised. I guess Michael already told her that I'll be spending the night here.

"Are you hungry?" Michael asks her. "Maria and I were planning to cook something."

Liz looks shocked. "Last time you cooked Max and I could still smell the burnt sausages even a week later out in the hallway."

I laugh and Michael glares at me.

I fall silent. "Um… I'm gonna go shower now."

"Yeah, good idea. greasy-girl," he says, playfully abused.

***

"Michael decided that he wants to relax on the couch and leave the cooking thing to us," Liz says when I come out of the bathroom again.

"I think I can live with that. Have you decided what we're gonna eat yet?"

"What about pasta?"

I laugh. "You have a thing for pasta, huh?"

"Yeah. I L-O-V-E it."

"Okay Michael, what do you think about pasta?" I ask him.

"As long as there's meat in it..." he grumbles from the couch.

"I'm gonna shower," Michael tells me after dinner. Liz left a few minutes ago.

"Okay, I´m gonna wash the dishes then."

"You don´t have to. I can do that tomorrow."

"There's nothing but a lot of crap on TV, so I don´t mind."

A few minutes later I walk over to the kitchen and watch the water running into the sink. I smile, lost in deep thoughts. Who would've thought that at some point I would be standing in Michael's kitchen, washing the dishes? It's funny how things work out.

I start to put the dishes and utensils in the sink and grab a dishrag. Oh my God, this is making me so happy, I can´t believe it.

_I´m not alone, Michael won´t let me down, he won´t leave me like my Mom. I´m washing his dishes...  
><em>  
>A little pain in my left hand brings me back to reality. "Ouch!" I mutter. I cut my forefinger on one of the knives and it's started to bleed a little.<p>

"What's up?" Michael, who has just entered the room again, asks.

"Nothing. Just cut my finger a little."

He comes further into the kitchen, wearing only his jeans. I turn around to face the sink again and try to act busy.

_Oh boy, don't do that to me, I can´t stand that view very long.  
><em>  
>"Let me see." He stands still at my back and grasps my finger from behind.<p>

The pain is all but forgotten as his upper body comes into contact with my back. He has to notice the tightness of my body... and of course he has to make a comment about it:

"Why're you all tense?" His breath touches my skin at my neck.

_As if you don´t know.  
><em>  
>"Uh... it's just a little weird, you know... to be here with you... I mean, not weird in a bad way, but rather in a good way, you know? Oh my God, now you think I´m crazy right? Maybe I lost too much blood."<p>

He chuckles. "Maria, you're babbling."

I sigh. "Yeah, sorry."

"But I think I understand what you mean. Weird, huh?" He opens the kitchen cupboard next to my head and takes a band-aid out of it. He unwraps it and softly places it over my little cut.

"I often cut myself, too. So there is always a first aid kit in my kitchen."

I laugh. "Not a bad idea."

"You´re done" He loosens his grip on my finger and places an ever-so-soft kiss on my shoulder where the pullover ends and bare skin begins. I shudder under the brief touch.

"I'll wash the rest of the dishes."

I just nod, still in daze, and sit down on one of the barstools, because I got weak in the knees.

After a few minutes I find my voice agian. "Can I ask you something?"

"That depends."

"Have you had a lot of woman in your life?" I have to ask him. The question pops in my mind every now and then.

He looks at me, puzzled. "Why do you want to know that?"

I shrug. "I... I'm just curious."

He turns away. "There were a few in the past," he mumbles.

I nod to myself. That's what I figured.

"Not lately," he adds quietly.

"Because of your injury?"

"Not just that."

I won't ask him, even if I have to just accept his answer. Maybe because I'm too afraid that he will say no. Maybe because I already know that he won´t give me an answer.

"What about you?" He turns the tables.

"Umm, ... just Billy."

"Of all people!" He looks at me, helplessly.

"I trusted him blindly, when we met first – that was a big mistake. He acted as if he cared about me. My mother was already an alky and treated me like trash, so it was a nice change to hang out with Billy and his gang. I really thought that they're my friends. But after a few weeks things changed; Billy realized that I had no one but him. He started to make out with other girls, cause he knew, that I wouldn't say anything about it. He wasn´t interested in me anymore. He just wanted to get in my pants now and then. I didn't have the courage to say no to him, I was too afraid that he would leave me – I didn´t want to be alone."

I pause for a few seconds and wipe a single tear away. "Today, I know it would've been better to be alone than to be with him. But it´s too late; I can't leave him anymore without dealing with some pretty bad consequences. I´m already too involved."

He puts the dishtowel away when his phone, which is lying on the counter, starts to ring. "It's just Liz, I´ll call her back later. He comes up to stand in front of me. "So ... you´ve had some not very good expieriences with men, huh?"

"No doubt!" I answer, tensing again. I can´t stay calm when he's so near.

"You know..." he leans forward and supports himself with one hand on the edge of the barstool, "... I think someone should change that..." His other hand brushes a strand of hair out of my face.

"Someone?" I croak quietly.

He smiles at me warmly. "I think you´re clever enough to know who I mean."

I smile back slightly and lean into his touch with closed eyes.

"I'll give you some better experiences..." he breathes into my ear.

I shiver with excitement and I start to feel dizzy.

"Someday," he adds, his breath feathering against my neck.

I can´t answer him; I can't think straight right now so I just sit there, waiting for his next move. He places feather light kisses on my right cheek while both of his hands slide down my thighs to the backs of my knees. He brings me up against him and leans his forehead against mine.

I open my eyes a bit – to find him gazing at me ... his lips so close. My shaking hands take a hold of his strong upper arms.

"You ready for your first good expierence in kissing?" he whispers with a little smirk. Luckily, he doesn´t wait for an answer – I´m not sure if I could have give him one – and brushes his lips against mine lightly.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**Part 19  
><strong>

"WHAT THE HELL...? MICHAEL?!" A loud voice bellows into the room, abruptly interrupting our kiss. The next second Michael backs away from me.

"Max? What're you doin' here?" His voice sounds almost hysterical… almost.

Max crosses his arms over his chest. "I think the question is, what the fuck are YOU doin' here?" he counters angrily.

_Silence.  
><em>  
>"Answer me!" he yells. "Why are you kissing the Hurricane-slut?"<p>

Michael turns to me. "You better leave."

I nod slightly, hop down from the barstool and walk slowly to the door. Max starts to grab my arm, but Michael detains him. "Let her go, Max!"

The door is slammed shut behind me. I stand in the hallway in shock. What did just happen? Why was Max at home? I hold my breath and then I hear Max' voice again through the wall.

"Count yourself lucky that you're still wearing a bandage... otherwise I'd beat the shit out of you! What's gotten into you?" he screams.

"Relax, man!" Michael tries to calm him down.

"Don't tell me to relax; I just saw you making out with that bitch!"

"It's just a part of my plan, okay?"

"What are you talking about Michael? What plan?"

_Yeah, what is he talking about?  
><em>  
>Michael sighs. "Okay, listen. I found out that she hates Billy, too, when she was at my place during the abduction. Then she came to the hospital, when I got knifed. All I could think about the last few weeks is: How can I take revenge for that, for what he did to me? I can't beat him up right now, cause I'm still too weak. But I think I found another way to avenge myself: HER."<p>

I clutch the railing that runs along the stairs. What did he just say?

"HER? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've been tryin' to gain her trust, okay? She hates Billy, too. And just think about it Max, what'll Billy say when he finds out that his supposed-to-be girlfriend is now... well, my girlfriend...?!"

"Okay, just to get things straight in my mind… You don't have REAL feelings for her, do you?"

"No! I just want to pay Billy back."

I start to leave the building. Slowly first, and then I'm practically running. Tears are streaming down my cheeks. How could I have trusted him?

How could I kiss that jackass?

***

I don't know when or how I got home. I just know that I ran the whole way.

I'm lying in my bed now with lots of blankets wrapped around me. I'm still so cold and I can't do anything about it.

I close my eyes and remember the moment when Michael kissed me. I felt so nervous and weird, but also a little beloved. Now I know it was all a big lie. He just pretended to like me. He just told me things I wanted to hear. And I believed him. Oh my god, how could I be so stupid?

It's all so obvious now. He would never betray his best friends because of me. His sudden friendliness was overdone; he had too little fear of getting caught. I grab the alarm clock from my nightstand and throw it at the wall. "Motherfucking asshole!"

Suddenly, the cell phone in my bag beeps. I pull it out and read the message:

_Hey Maria, just want to say good night. Sorry about Max. His job out of town was cancelled. I took care of him.  
><em>  
>"Yeah, I heard you!" I whisper to myself. My tone is scoffing as new tears well up in my eyes, but I force them back. "The hell with you!" I power off the phone and throw it under the bed. I don't need it anymore.<p>

The only thing that doesn't fit into the whole story is Liz. Has she really been lying to me this whole time, too? Max didn't know anything about the so-called plan for revenge. Why would Michael tell Liz and not Max?

Well, it doesn't matter. I won't trust them anymore. Maybe I won't trust anyone ever again

**I can't trust you anymore November 28th, 2007 – Wednesday – 7:30 am  
><strong>

I feel really awful this morning, 'cause I didn't sleep well last night. I spent half of the night thinking about Michael and wishing I hadn't been so stupid in the past. I force myself out of bed and into the bathroom. It's damn cold and I wonder if the mirror will freeze.

***

I arrive at work at 3:30 pm and Kate tells me to wash the dishes first.

School sucked today. Kyle and Lonnie glared at me the entire time. I'm sure they know something. Maybe Max told them about Michael's plan.

The math test in the third period was horrible. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't concentrate and at the end I gave my teacher an almost completely blank paper.

I'm kind of lost at the moment.

"Hey, Maria. How're you doin'?" April asks me with a grin.

"Tired. Very tired," I answer, trying to relax.

"So, how was your night at Michael's place? Didn't get much sleep, huh?" Her grin gets even wider.

My heart tightens as she mentions him. "Uh... I... I don't want to talk about it."

"Speaking of him..." April becomes silent.

"Huh?" I turn around and catch sight of Michael. He's standing outside and makes a gesture through the window for me to come out, too. "Great," I mutter under my breath and throw the dishrag away.

"What do you want?" I snap the moment I get outside.

He looks at me, confused. "I just wanted to see if you're okay. You didn't answer my text yesterday. Are you pissed at me or something?" He shoves his hands in his pockets.

"As you can see, I'm alive. Was there anything else?"

"What's the matter with you?" he asks, still puzzled.

"Nothing. I've gotta go inside now." I want to leave him alone, but he takes a step forward and grabs my wrist.

I spin around. "Don't touch me, Michael."

"You're not leavin' until you tell me what's wrong with you."

"You want to know what's wrong with me? The question is: What's wrong with YOU, Michael?" I yell.

"I still don't get it."

"How could you use me like that? How could you use me to pay Billy back? I told you what's going on in my life and you took advantage of it."

He's getting kind of pale.

"I heard everything you told Max yesterday, you bastard! How could I believe that you're different from the others?" I try to force my tears back but it's not working very well. "I started to trust you, Michael; do you know how much you've hurt me at all?"

"Maria, listen! You're well aware that the things I told Max aren't true." He's almost screaming. "I had to tell him something. What should I told him? The truth?" He releases my wrist.

"I don't know what the truth is anymore. I can't trust you or anyone else," I whisper.

"I'd better go then. Goodbye!" He turns around and I watch him leave.

I lean against the door behind me and bury my face in my hands. I try to convince myself that I did the right thing. But when I remember the expression of hurt in his eyes, when I told him that I don't trust him, I'm not so sure anymore...

***

I come home at 9:00 pm tonight and find a letter pinned to the door.

_Mrs. DeLuca,_

_I am waiting for the payment for the last three months rent until December 7th. Unless payment is made eviction will be immediate._

_Your landlord  
><em>  
>"Great." Three months rent? That's like $900. Where the hell would I get $900 in just a few days? I take the letter and storm the stairs up to the flat belonging to Mr. Wilson, our landlord.<p>

After a few knocks he opens the door and looks at me, his gaze unfriendly. "What do you want?" he grumbles.

"Um… Hi, Mr. Wilson, I just read this…" I show him his own letter. "Well, my mother is out of town for a while and she didn't leave enough money here. I can't pay the whole amount until next week."

He shrugs carelessly. "Either you pay, or you can start packing your bags." Then he slams the door shut and I walk back to my own flat frustrated. I have to find a new home... and fast!

**House-Hunting Novemerber 29th, 2007 – Thursday – 12:30 pm  
><strong>

I cut school for the last three periods because my mission for today is House-Hunting. And I don't want to be late at work after that.

First, I try my luck with an apartment agency. A tall and lean blonde woman greets me with a sceptical look.

"Hi, I'm Maria." I smile at her, but her expression doesn't change.

"My name is Mrs. Cornwall. So, Maria, what do you want?"

"Um..." I'm nervous; the woman doesn't seem very nice to me. "I'm looking for a little studio apartment or something. Nothing special and nothing too expensive."

"Can you give me a better definition of not too expensive?" she says in a condescending tone.

I thought about it last night… a lot. I only get $20 a day at the moment. Kate told me I can come in five days a week, if I want to. So I get maximum of $100 a week and maybe $450 a month. I have to buy food, school stuff, pay for electricity, some clothes now and then, and other things.

"I think I can pay around $150 to $200 a month."

She looks at me and frowns. "Huh? That was a joke, right?"

I stare back at her, puzzled. "Um, no, that… I wasn't kidding."

"Listen, Maria." She leans forward on her desk. "Go back home to your mommy. There aren't any apartments in New York in your price range."

***

Two hours later...

I'm very frustrated right now. I went to like five other agencies; I read all the advertisements for apartments and flats in every newspaper I found – but nothing. They were all too expensive, and too far from school and work.

I can still hear the voices of the people:

"No, there are no apartments."

"No, that's too expensive."

"No." - "No." - "No."

I really have to think about something else. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Part 20  
><strong>  
><span><strong>A lucky hit Novemerber 30th, 2007 – Friday – 2:30 pm<br>**  
>School is over and I head for the supermarket near my apartment. I have to buy some food for the weekend. I don´t need to work today since Kate told me to come by tomorrow morning.<p>

"DeLuca." Someone calls after me. I don't have to turn around; I already know this voice - Billy. He catches up to me and forces me to stand still with his hand on my arm.

I try to look surprised. "Oh, Billy, hey."

"Where're you goin'?" he asks gruffly.

"To the supermarket." No need to lie here.

"After that?"

"Um..."

_Think of something, Maria.  
><em>  
>"Good. You´ll come to Election with us today," he says without a second thought.<p>

"But, I have to work tomorrow morning."

"Too bad. You're comin' anyway. I´ll pick you up at eleven o`clock. And put on some nice clothes, too."

I look at him, puzzled, but he leaves before I can say another word.

_Great.  
><em>

I put the food that I bought a minute ago in the cart in front of me and grab one of the paper bags. Just as I start to pack it, the corkboard above me catches my attention.

'Roomate wanted' – is the title of a handwritten note pinned there.

I set the bag down in the cart and read further.

"Are you young, independent and reasonable? Good, I´m searching for a new roomate. $100 a month. Interested? Then call me for more information.'

My heartbeat rises. Could that be my chance?

I don't have the cell phone or a pencil with me, so I tear the whole sheet of paper off of the corkboard and shove it into my bag.

***

I run home, put the bags down in the kitchen and hurry into my room. I get on my knees and search for the cell phone I threw under my bed after the fight with Michael.

Michael – the memory of him makes me wince. But I don´t have time to pity myself. Not now. With shaking hands I dial the number from the flyer.

"Hello?" A young, female voice greets me.

"Hi… um. My name is Maria. I'm calling you because I just saw your flyer in a supermarket. Are you still looking for a roommate?"

Please, say yes.

"Oh, hey, Maria. My name's Angel. I had almost lost faith that anyone would read this, so yeah, I´m definitely still looking for someone."

That takes a load off my mind. "Cool. Where's the apartment?"

"Oh, it's not far from that supermarket, the one where you found my flyer."

Okay, now I´ll ask her the most important question. "Are you gonna need permission from my parents or anything? Because I can't get it, but I'll be turning 18 next week."

She laughs. "No, I don't need that. You'll just be my roomy, so no one will ask questions about your age or anything. And I'm only 19, so we're not that far apart. What do you say? You wanna come over and have a look at the room I've got to offer?"

"Yeah, wow. That would be cool. Can you give me the adress? Then I'll be on my way."

***

I'm kind of nervous when I knock on Angel's front door. What if she doesn´t like me?

"Hey, Maria, right?" She greets me with a wide smile on her lips.

"Yeah."

"C'mon in." She steps aside and leads me inside. We stand in a small living room/kitchen combination.

"As you can see, this is the room where we could cook or just hang out together."

"Wow, it's comfy."

"And this…" she walks ahead to a door and opens it, "is the bathroom. Not very big, but we do have a wide shower here. There's a small shelf, where you can put your stuff. Okay, follow me, and I'll show you the room that'd be yours."

I follow her, practically vibrating with excitement. She lays her hand on the doorknob, but doesn´t open it yet. She sighs and turns around. "Look, Maria, I wanna be honest with you. I've lived on my own in this apartment for over a year now. But the rent got to be too much for me to afford on my own. I asked my landlord if I could look for a roommate so that I don't have to pay the whole thing alone every month. Luckily, he's a pretty cool guy and just gave me permission. Anyway, okay, what I actually wanted to say is, this room isn't very big or anything. I've just been using it as a storeroom."

"Oh, it´s okay. Let me just see it."

She nods and opens the door.

She's right. It's not a big room, maybe three meters wide and four meters long. But, there is a huge window and I can see the sky outside. There are no high buildings or anything that would hinder the view, just the sky.

_That´s all I need.  
><em>  
>My eyes fill with tears 'cause I can´t believe that I've finally found a place where I can live.<p>

"You don't like it, right?" Angel says, her expression a little downcast. "I thought so. I wouldn't like it, either."

"No, no." I shake my head. "I LOVE it."

She looks at me, surprised. "Are you serious?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"But, why? It's not that impressive."

I laugh. "It's a castle in comparison to my current situation."

She looks at me, puzzled.

Now it's my turn to be honest. "My parents left me in our apartment without paying the rent. They shut off our gas, so it´s freezing cold there, but I can´t pay the debts my mother left behind. So, I really, really need a new place to stay soon."

She smiles. "Wanna cup of tea or something? We could discuss the details, if you have time."

I nod. "Sounds great."

"Have a seat." She goes into the kitchen.

"When can I move in?"

"Um, I've only gotta move my stuff out of this room and into my room. And I'll have to inform my landlord. What do you think about Monday?"

"Really? That's cool. But, um… I won't be able to give you the full $100 then. I just started my job."

"That's totally fine. The rent is payable at the middle of each month, so it'd be enough if you give me the money then. I just ask that you chip in for food, drinks, bathroom tissue, and stuff like that."

"Of course! This is getting better and better," I say with a grin.

"I'll have to trust you, with the payment I mean. Cause you won't appear on the rental contract or anything."

"Don't worry. I will pay you. That's the only chance for me to get a new home. I can't afford an apartment all by myself."

***

I can't believe that I just found a new place to stay. I arrive at my "current home" with a big smile on my lips and drop down to my bed.

My cell phone starts to ring the moment I relax.

_Michael_! I think and grab the phone.

I can´t stop my disappointment. It's Liz. What the hell could she want? I consider just powering off the cell phone again. But, of course, I won't.

"Hello."

"Maria, it's Liz. Can you come outside?"

"Outside?" I ask, surprised. "Where outside?"

"I'm almost at your apartment. You'll see me. Please, we need to talk."

"What? What are you doing here? Are you out of your mind or something?"

***

I can see her behind a corner next to the entrance of our building. She waves me closer.

I roll my eyes and walk towards her. Without saying a word, she grabs my hand and leads me to a car.

"Get in," she hisses.

"What?" I shake her off. "No, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"We won't go anywhere. We'll just sit in the car to hide, okay?" She looks desperate and kind of ridiculous with her beanie.

I cross my arms. "No, I don´t trust you."

She sighs and opens the drivers' side door. A second later she throws the keys to me. "Are you satisfied now?"

I shrug and get in the car unwillingly.

"What do you want?" I ask harshly. It hurts to be so rude to her 'cause she was always so nice to me. But maybe it was all an act, just like it was with Michael.

"I need to talk to you!"

"About what?"

"Don't pretend to be so clueless," she replies sounding a little pissed now, too.

"Fine. You have one minute." I glance at my watch.

"Um..."

"Time's running out, Liz," I tease her.

She looks at me, puzzled. "God, Maria. Can you be a little less bitchy?" She calms herself down. "Listen. Michael told me that you overheard some stuff when he was talking to Max – "

I snort, angry. "He did, huh?"

"The things he told Max weren´t true. Why don´t you believe him?"

"Did he send you to talk to me, Liz? Why don´t you leave me alone?"

"He doesn´t know that I'm with you now, okay? What do you think Michael should have told Max?" She asks provocatively.

"Well," I stumble, "maybe the truth."

"Oh come on, Maria. He was shocked when Max came in and he made up that story to protect YOU. Both of you."

"It didn't sound like a story he just made up off the top of his head."

"Max and Michael have been best friends their entire lives. They're like brothers; you can't expect Michael to just forget about that fact. He just didn´t want Max to hate him."

"Yeah, that´s the most important thing, isn't it? Why should he have told me the truth and fooled Max the whole time? That just doesn't make sense, does it?"

Liz grunts in frustration. "I really can't imagine why Michael still wants to protect you. He helped you all that time and you´re too much of a coward to trust him."

Her words hit me hard and I stay silent.

"He lied to his best friends because of you, Maria; he let you sleep at his place. I deceived Max for you. Did it never occur to you that he did that not because of some stupid revenge plans, but because of the fact that he likes you?"

"Stop it!" I scream at her, and tears are running down my cheeks. "I ask myself everyday over and over again: Did I make the right decision? But, I don't know. I want to believe him, Liz. I really want to, but I just can´t stand another rejection."

I open the door and get out of the car. Liz holds me back for one last moment. "I wish I could offer you proof that Michael really meant what he said to you, but I can´t." She speaks in a soft tone now. "There is nothing I can show or tell you that will destroy all your doubts, Maria. But if you knew Michael the way I know him, you would realize that he's done more for you than for anyone else."


	21. Chapter 21

**Part 21**

Liz' last words chase around in my head. _Was she right? Should I trust Michael? _

Oh, I really hate this! Why isn't there a reliable sign over everybody's head, so you can see if the person is lying or not? That would be very helpful. I´m an emotional wreck at the moment and nobody can help me with it, except for myself.

I have two choices: Either I trust Michael and believe that he didn´t lie to me, but to his best friends.  
>Or I send him packing and try to cope with my life without him.<p>

Maybe the last one would be more reasonable, right? But, what about my feelings for him? Yes, I admit it, I have feelings for him. I don´t know what they're all about, 'cause I never before felt the way I feel around him. But when he kissed me, even if it was only for a few seconds, it seemed so right.

I take the phone I got from him, hold it in my hand and stare at it. Should I call him? But what am I supposd to say? No, I can´t call him. It would be too weird.

I have a bigger problem to resolve: Billy.

I glance at the phone one last time and put it into my bag then. Maybe it's a good idea to take it with me tonight.

***

_11:00 pm_

I wait outside. There is no need for him to come into the flat to pick me up. I'm nervous. Very nervous, to be honest.

"Ah, there she is," Billy slurs from a distance. It's not hard to figure out that he´s already a little drunk. All the other Hurricanes are with him and there's another person I don´t know.

"Didn´t I tell you to put on some sexy clothes?" he asks when they reach me.

I look down at myself. I'm wearing a pair of blue drainpipe jeans, some high white pumps, which I bought in better times and a white top unter my jacket. Well, I think I do look sexy – just not slutty-sexy.

"It's cold!" I respond.

"It's not cold inside the Election."

"I think she looks damn hot, man!" the guy I don't know says.

Billy grins at him and drapes an arm around his neck. "That´s good Anthony, 'cause she´s yours tonight."

_What? Did I hear him right?_

"Maria, this's my cousin Anthony. You have to be nice to him tonight."

"What are you talkin' about, Billy?" My voice sounds shrill. I look at Sean, Ava, Brody and Ryan in hopes of finding some indignation – but nothing. They all look down at the ground.

It´s another story when Billy makes out with some other woman, but he can´t expect from me to sleep with another man he had chosen. I'm not a whore.

"Let´s go." Billy grabs my wrist and we walk to the Election.

***

Ava and Ryan are at the bar; they drink and flirt the whole time. I wish I could be as light-hearted as her.

I'm sitting in one of the booths – between Billy and Anthony. God, can it get any worse? I'm on the verge of freaking out here.

"You stay with Anthony, got that? Go dance with him, flirt with him and later, you go home with him," Billy says to me over the loud music. I don´t think that Anthony can hear him.

I shake my head. "You can't expect me to sleep with him."

"I can! And I will. Take my word for it," he blusters.

"But why?" I scream.

"Because he's alone in town, he wants to get laid, and he thinks you're hot."

"But there are lots of hot woman here who would be willing to go home with him, I´m sure."

"Listen," he grabs my chin rudely, "you´ll do what I tell you. Or else you'll catch it, Maria." With these words he leaves.

***

Anthony keeps touching me on my leg the whole time. I don´t know how long I can stand his closeness. If I didn´t know better, I might think that he's an attractive guy. But he´s a jerk and I hate him, because he's the same as Billy, an arrogant asshole.

"You want something to drink?" he asks, almost touching my ear with his lips.

I back off a little. "No, thank you."

"You're kind of tense." He slides his right hand further up my thigh and comes close again.

I turn away from him and find Michael Guerin staring at me.

***

My heartbeat races the moment our eyes meet. I wonder how long he's been observing me. It's good to see him again, but the circumstances could be better. Bandits and Hurricanes in the same room... it doesn´t turn out very well most of the time.

"I have to go to the bathroom," I yell at Anthony to be heard above the noise and leave the dance hall.

I look into the mirror in the bathroom and ask myself, what I should do next. I can´t get out of this mess; it doesn't matter if I stay or leave. But maybe it would be healthier to stay.

I leave the bathroom after a few minutes to make my way back to my seat. But someone suddenly grabs my wrist and drags me into some kind of storeroom. I want to scream, but the person presses his hand over my mouth and then the door shuts behind us and no one will hear me above the loud music outside anyway.

I spin around furiously and don´t know if I should be scared or glad when I see Michael.

"You?" I whisper, and my knees go weak when I meet his intense glance.

"Did you expect someone else?" He lifts his eyebrows in question.

I'm too shocked to respond.

"Who's the jerk you were with?" He cuts to the chase immediately and crosses his arms.

"Why do you care?" I snap only because I´m too ashamed to tell him the truth.

"You're not answering my question," he states coldly.

"Are you jealous or something?" I try to hide my insecurity.

"Why should I be jealous? Any fool can see that you don´t want him to touch you."

I guess he observed me for a while in the dance hall.

"He´s Billy´s cousin," I whisper.

Michael rolls his eyes. "Great, another bastard in his family," he murmurs. "Why are you hanging out with him anyway?"

I look down at the floor. I can´t tell him the whole story, it´s too embarrasing.

He takes my chin in his hand and lifts it. "Tell me the truth, Maria." The expression on his face softens. "You're not with him by your own choice, right?"

I nod slightly and try to hide the oncoming tears. "Um..." I gulp, "he… Billy wants me to spend the night with his cousin."

Michael's eyes widen in shock. "WHAT?" He slams his fist into the wall behind me. "Fuck! That jerk is out of control," he yells.

After a few seconds he pulls himself togehter and looks straight into my eyes. "You're not doin' that!"

"I have no choice, I..."

"No, Maria. I won´t let you."

"What do you suggest we do, Michael?" I scream. "We can't do anything about it."

"Max and I will tear them up. Both of them, and in a way that they won´t be able to fuck anyone tonight."

"Yeah, right. It'd be Max and you against Billy, Anthony, Brody, Ryan, Sean and Brody. They're all here, Michael."

"Kyle and Alex are here, too."

"Oh, come on, Alex? " I look at him doubtfully.

"Fine. So it's Max, Kyle and me against them. We can manage this."

"Maybe, if you weren't still hurt."

"I feel fine."

"Really?" I punch him in the stomach – not with all my strength, of course. He winces in pain.

I take a step forward and poke my finger into his chest. "You're still far from being fine. Billy knows that and he would take advantage of it. He would hurt you, Michael. He would hurt you really bad."

He shoves my finger away from him and looks into my eyes. "Better me than you."

Suddenly I lose all my doubts and insecurity about him. This whole thing between Michael and me has nothing to do with some ridiculous revenge plan or wounded pride. He wants to protect me, even when he knows that he doesn't have a realistic chance of coming out of this very well.

"I´m sorry, that I didn´t believe you," I breathe out and blink back tears.

He seems to be a little confused by my sudden change of subject, but he realizes the significance of my words and nods.

"I have an idea. Wait here for me, I´ll be right back, okay?"

"Okay."

Then he leaves me alone in the room and I sit down on one of the beer cases.

***

After a few minutes he comes back.

"Give me your hand", he says.

I look at him puzzled, but I do what he asked me to do. Michael pulls something of of his pockets and places it into my palm.

"Is this what I think it is? Drugs?" I look closer. "Cocaine?"

He nods.

"Michael, where did...?"

"I don't take dugs, okay? Trust me, I´m not a total dumbass. But I know people who deal them."

"What am I supposed to do with them? I don't think that a purple haze will distract them from sex."

"Did Billy and his cousin leave their jackets at the coat check at the entrance?"

I grin. "Yeah! And I have the tokens to pick them up."

He smiles a little. "Then just make sure that Billy and his cousin have the drugs in their pockets when you leave. I´ll take care of the rest."

I nod. "Thank you, Michael."

"Go now, before anyone starts to wonder where we are."

I turn around and start to leave the room. I want to hug him so bad, but I think it´s not the right time.

***


	22. Chapter 22

**Part 22**

_Two hours later...  
><em>  
>I put the drugs in their jackets after a while. It was so easy, it almost scares me. I don´t know what Michael has planned, but I hope that it will work, 'cause Anthony is really disgusting me. We are dancing right now and his fingers are all over me. I try to look amused – but inside it makes me wanna puke!<p>

Michael is still observing us and I can see the tense expression in his face when Anthony grabs my ass once more. Suddenly Billy appears next to us. "Okay, let´s go. It's getting kind of empty here and we wanna get laid. The others left a while ago." I recognize a tall blonde woman next to him. Seems to be his new interest.

We all head for the exit, but I have to glance back at Michael one more time. He nods in my direction and takes his phone out of his pocket.

We pick up our jackets and leave the Election. Suddenly there are three tall men in front of us. "General drug control." One of them says and he shows his shield to us.

"Oh, come on," Billy says, "we just wanna go home. We don´t have any drugs."

"Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?" one of the man replies and they start to search all of us.

"No drugs, huh?" The policeman waves a small bag of cocaine in front of Billy´s nose.

"What the hell? Those aren't my drugs. Somebody put it in my pocket."

"Yeah, of course they did!"

"I found something, too," the man who searched Anthony, says.

"The ladies are okay," the third man says. "We'll just take these two losers with us. You can spend a nice night at the police station."

"No." Billy screams and wants to get rid of them, but soon I hear the 'click' of the handcuffs.

I try to look shocked and pissed, but inside I cheer. Billy´s bitch disappears without looking back and two of the policemen drag Billy and his cousin to their car.

"Be glad that you're not spending the night with this jackass," the third officer says to me.

I nod absent-mindedly. "Yeah, I am."

***

I sink into my bed tiredly. The sun will be coming up soon and I have to go to work. Maybe it´s not a good idea to get some sleep now. I won´t be able to stand up then.

Suddenly my cell phone starts to ring. I pull it out of my bag with shaking hands. I already know that it's Michael.

"Hey."

"Hey. You´re okay?"

"Yeah. The police took Billy and Anthony with them."

"So our plan did work."

"Yeah. Michael? Thank you... for helping me... again."

"It´s okay. You sound very tired. I should let you sleep."

"No," I answer way too quickly. I want to talk to him for a while. "Um... I mean, I have to be at work in two hours, so I'm gonna try to stay awake."

"Are you cold? Your voice is shaking."

"A little. Still no heat here, you know. Oh, but I found a new place to stay," I add with excitement.

"Really? It's not Billy's house or anything, right?" He seems a little alarmed.

"No, no. For heaven's sake, Michael. There's a girl who was looking for a roomate. I visited with her yesterday and she offered me a little room. It´s nothing special, but it´s warm and nice and I can afford it."

"That´s good. And you won't be alone anymore. When will you move?"

"On Monday, I guess. I´ll pack my few things this weekend and then I have to find a way to bring them over to my new home."

"I can help you, if you want to."

"It´s too dangerous, Michael."

"I don't care."

***

**A piece of good news December 1st, 2007 – Saturday – 1:30 pm**

I´m on my way home from work now. Today really sucked 'cause there were tons of dishes to wash and now I'm exhausted. My legs feel like lead weights and I just want to sit down and rest. A little smile crosses my face when I remember how April and I broke lots of plates, when we attempted to put them in the cupboard. We had a lot of fun even though I was so tired.

"Hey, Maria." Somone interrupts my thoughts and I look up.

"Sean!"

_Great. I don´t want to talk to one of them right now. _

"How're you doin'?"

"Well, I´m kind of tired. I got home late last night and I have to be at work at 7:00 am."

"Oh wow, that´s really early. Hey, I heard about the incident with the police."

"Yeah, it was really weird, you know?" I hope I don't sound as nervous as I feel right now. "I didn't know that Billy and Anthony had drugs."

"They didn't! Or at least they didn´t know that there were drugs in their pockets. I talked to Billy a few hours ago."

_Does he suspect me? That would be bad._

"He thinks one of the Bandits planted the drugs. They were at the Election tonight and they didn´t start any trouble with us… which is very suspicious, don´t you think?"

I pretend to think about it for a while. "Maybe. Yeah... it´s really weird that they didn´t start a fight with us... and maybe it was because of their plan to put the drugs in Billy and Anthony's pockets without attracting attention."

Sean nods, convinced, and I'm glad that he's buying the story.

"So... uh... they're out of jail now, right?"

"Anthony, yes, and he already left town, but Billy... he's still there. He told me he'd have to stay there maybe a week or two because he has a criminal record and the cops won´t let him go without a little punishment."

"Oh, that really sucks." _Yeah... NOT! _

"Yeah, without him we're totally outnumbered. I talked to Ryan and we decided that it'd be better to stay outta sight for the next few days, at least until Billy gets outta jail. If the Bandits get ahold of us we'd be too weak to beat them right now."

I nod and try to hide my joy. One week… maybe longer, without worrying about how to escape my gang. "That sounds smart."

"Yeah, so just go home and stay there, okay? I´ll let everyone know."

***

I come home and throw myself onto my bed. I really need to sleep, and soon. But first I have to call Michael. He asked me this morning to give him a call when I was home from work, just to make sure that I´m okay and Billy didn´t ambush me somewhere.

"Hey. It´s Maria."

"You´re at home."

"Yeah."

"Good."

"I ran into Sean on my way home."

"What'd he say?" His voice gets more serious with the mention of a member of the Hurricanes.

"That Billy has to stay in jail for at least a week." I smile into the phone.

"Wow, finally one piece of good news this week."

"Yeah, I don't think I'll have to worry about them this week. What a nice birthday present he made for me without even knowing, huh?"

"Your birthday isn´t today, is it?"

"No, it´s on Wednesday; I can't wait to turn 18."

"I can believe that."

"Sean also told me that Billy thinks someone in the Bandits put the drugs in their pockets."

"Good. Then they don't suspect you."

"Yeah, but you have to be careful. All of you. Well, I didn´t care about Kyle and Lonnie, sorry, but I´m sure he'll be coming up with a revenge plan while he's in jail."

***


	23. Chapter 23

**Part 23**

**Save me! Again. December 2nd, 2007 – Sunday – 5:30 pm**

I'm kind of nervous. Michael will be here at my flat soon. Yesterday on the phone we agreed that he'll pick up my stuff today, 'cause we won´t have enough time on Monday. I wonder what he thinks about me. Are we friends? Or lovers? Or what? He's never mentioned the kiss between us again. Maybe he doesn´t want us to be anything, because it´s all so difficult. Maybe he just has a guilty conscience about Kyle and the abduction and all the things they did to me. Maybe he just helps me to quiet the voice in his head that tells him that he´s a bad person.

I don´t know. He means so much to me right now, and I hope that we can at least be friends. I'm too scared to inquire about his real intent.

Suddenly there's a knock on the door and my heart jumps with a combination of anticipation and tension. The smile on my lips disappears when I see George on the other side of the door.

George… not Michael.

"What do you want?" I snap.

"So, you're still alive," he mutters.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Whatever! I just wanna get some stuff for your mother." He rushes through the door. "What´s that?" He motions to my packed stuff.

"Cartons," I answer dryly.

"Don´t shit me," he almost screams and comes towards me in a hurry.

"I´m moving out of this shithole," I yell back.

"Where to?"

I huff scornfully. "Like I would tell you!"

"You´re an impertinent little slut," he hisses and slaps me in the face.

My head jerks to one side; suddenly I feel kind of dizzy and I struggle to stay upright.

Just as George moves to push me against the wall, a deep male voice stops him. "Don´t touch her."

I'm so glad to see Michael standing in the doorway.

"Who are you? The mack for this little whore here?" He buries his left hand in my hair and drags me along with him.

I wince in pain, but try to hide my weakness as much as I can.

Michael takes a few lage steps forward until he reaches us. "I said, don´t touch her." Then he grabs George's arm, which is holding onto me, and makes him to let me go.

He yelps at Michael's rough handling and tries to shake him off.

"Leave!" Michael tells him angrily.

"You're not in charge here, you son of a bitch!" George tosses back and clenches his fist.

Fortunately, Michael ducks before the punch can hit him. He looks like nothing could agitate him: his expression is cold, his body taut as he stands in the middle of the room like a stonewall.

In the twinkling of an eye, he punches my mother's bimbo in the face and slams him against the wall right next to the door. George almost loses his consciousness for a second and Michael takes the opportunity to throw him out of the flat. "Fuck off, jerk," he tells him and slams the door.

I still stand in the same place where George let go of me a few moments before and I stare at Michael in shock.

"You're okay?" He comes closer.

I nod, still a little shaken. "Yeah!"

He takes my face in his hands and checks my cheek where George hit me. "Does it hurt?"

"Just a little," I lie. Actually, my head feels like it's going to explode with every breath.

"I guess he was you mother´s miserable wretch?"

I nod. "Right… and thank you. You saved me… again."

Michael left after we carried all my stuff out to his car. I don´t have too many things that I'll be taking with me to my new home.

I lie in my bed now and it´s fuckin' cold again. I don´t have any blankets to wrap around me or anything. They're all already in Michael´s car. So now I'm sitting on my empty bed and staring out through the window into a dark and dirty alley. I can´t wait to get away from here. Tomorrow I´ll be in a warm room. I don´t have a bed at Angel´s apartment yet, but I´ll manage it. Maybe I could ask her if I can sleep in the living room until I can afford my own new bed.

"I´ll pick you up from work tomorrow evening and then we´ll take your stuff to your new place," Michael had said before he left.

I´m so glad, that I have him. What would I do without him?

I can´t wait to see him again.

**Moving-Day December 3rd, 2007 – Monday – 6:15 pm**

"You ready?" Michael asks me.

I put the last few plates in the sink and strip off the apron I wear at work. "Yeah, I think so. God, I'm so excited about my new place," I grin at him widely.

He chuckles. "Yes, I can see that. Come on, then."

30 minutes later…

We're standing in front of Angel´s apartment, loaded with boxes. I almost drop one when I knock on the door.

Angel opens it and smiles kindly. "Hey, Maria, can I help you with this?" She takes one of the boxes from me.

"Hey. I hope you don´t mind that I brought someone with me. This is Michael, and Michael, this is Angel."

"Oh, no, it´s totally okay. Most of the time it´s so boring and quiet in the apartment. Nice to meet you, Michael."

"Hey," he answers simply, but politely.

The next few minutes are spent carrying all of my stuff into my new little room. "Okay, I'll leave you two alone," Angel says after we finish and she takes her leave.

Michael looks around my new room. "I know, it´s kind of small. But I think it´s enough."

"Anything is better than your old place. The room here is fine, but you don´t have a bed or any furniture. Just this little shelf."

"I know, I´ll ask Angel, if I can sleep on the couch until I can afford a bed. But it's warm in here, isn't it? That's cool." I grin.

He smiles down at me. "Yeah, it is."

"Thank you for helping me. I owe you,"

"No, you don't," he denies.

"Oh, I soooo do," I counter.

He shrugs. "Okay, I may take you up on it some time." He grins. "I've gotta go now. Max wants to meet me at a new pub."

I nod. "Okay, I'll see you to the door."

We walk past the living room in silence. "Later, Angel," he calls over his shoulder, then he lowers his gaze. "Bye, Maria. Have fun with your new roommate and your new place. I'll see you." He presses his lips against my temple for a second – and then he´s gone.

I sit down next to Angel on the sofa with a soft smile on my lips.

"Sooo, that was Michael, huh?" She asks, her tone amused as she lifts her eyebrows in question.

"Yes, that was Michael." I try to sound calm.

"He´s hot. Your boyfriend?"

I try to find a way to describe Michael, but I can´t think of anything. "No."

"You're not interested in him?" she asks doubtfully.

I look at her, a little abashed. "I think I am."

"I knew it. It's kind of obvious, you know?"

"Really? That´s bad."

"Bad? Why? You should go for it, before some else does. He's the kinda guy that's in demand, I guess."

"I wish it was so easy."

"It is."

"No." I shake my head, "Believe me, it´s not. You don´t know the whole looooong story about us."

"Wanna tell me? I've nothing going on tonight." She smiles at me.

I think about it for a minute. Maybe I would feel a little better if someone knew my whole story. "Okay. So I think I should start with the fact that I'm a member of a gang. And Michael... he´s a member of another gang..."

I´m lying on the couch now; Angel went to bed a while ago.

I told her the whole Michael-Maria story and she listened in silence. I left out some details, especially the worst fight between Michael and Billy. I don´t want to scare her. After that she had told me that I should trust my gut feelings – and whatever they say... I should go for it.

Well, my gut feeling says that on the one hand it's dangerous to be with Michael, but on the other hand it's dangerous to not to be with him, too.

So tell me, what should I do?


	24. Chapter 24

**Extra long part today. Merry Christmas! :)**

**Part 24  
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**My birthday December 5th, 2007 – Wednesday – 6:30 pm**

I feel exhausted, when I climb the stairs to my home. Last night was very cool. Angel and I had a lot of fun while watching a movie on TV. We went to bed after midnight even though I had to get up early this morning. And then after a boring day in school Kate gave me a lot of work this afternoon.

All I want now is a shower, a very hot shower. Yeah, I can have a hot shower whenever I want now. That's cool, isn´t it? That´s definitly the best birthday present I got this year.

_Even if I've made it me by myself_, I think sadly. I´m not used to getting a lot of presents, but when I was a kid my mom and grandma backed cookies and then we would go to the zoo.

I hear some noise through the door as I search around my bag for the keys. Maybe one of Angel's friends decided to come by or something?

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" someone almost screams at me when I open the door. I stand there in shock and stare at the smiling Angel.

"How... how did you know? I don't remember telling you my birthday is today."

"Oh, you didn't," she tells me.

"But I did." Only now do I notice Michael in the kitchen.

My jaw drops to the floor. "Michael?" I ask in disbelief.

_He remembered?_

"Yeah, it's me. So you still know my name." He grins insufferably.

"Michael came to me a few hours ago. He told me that it´s your birthday today and he wanted to give you his present here. Since I didn´t know, I don't have a present of my own, sorry."

"That's okay. I don´t expect any presents from you. Either of you."

"Well, too late, honey," Michael states.

_Did he just call me honey?_

"Yeah, Michael's present is in your room. And I made dinner for us. Pasta! I hope you like it."

"I... I don't know what to say... um… except for thank you."

"That's enough. Now, don´t stand in the door any longer. Come inside. Maybe you want to shower first?"

"Um... yeah, that would be nice. I just have to go to my room to get some clothes."

"Oh, the box with your clothes is already in the bathroom," Angel says and I look at her, puzzled.

"Oooookkkayy," I answer sceptically, and then disappear to shower.

***

The hot water is running down my body. I sigh with relief and try to relax… well, as much as I can relax with the knowledge that Michael Guerin is on the other side of the door.

He's here. He's really here at my place. I can´t believe it. And he has a present for me. I wonder what it could be? I have no idea. My fingers run through my hair and along the back of my neck. How would this feel, if it were Michael touching me?

I shake my head slightly. That's so untypical of me. I never have these kinds of daydreams – erotic daydreams. Not until I met him. It's kind of scary.

Angel and Michael have already set the table when I come out into the living room. "Food smells good," I comment with a soft smile on my lips.

"I hope it tastes good as well," Angel replies from the kitchen and sets the last jar on the table. Michael is already sitting on one of the chairs. "Dinner is ready," she calls with a grin, and takes a seat as well.

"You should have told me that it's your birthday today, Maria. I would have bought you a little present, too."

"You don´t have to," I say again as I take my seat. "You already gave me the best present, when you told me that I could live here with you. So, don't worry. And I have to mention that it´s been a long time since someone has cooked for me, too."

"Hey, I cooked for you," Michael complains.

I raise an eyebrow. "You bought pizza. That has nothing to do with cooking."

He sticks his tongue out, but smiles. "Okay, you´re right."

We eat in silence then and the pasta Angel made tastes more than fine.

"That was really delicious. But I'm so full." I rub my belly.

"So, you're ready for your present?" Michael asks me.

"Yeah, go on and give her the present, Michael. I´ll take care of the dishes," Angel answers for me.

He stands in front of the door to my room and smiles at me. "Sooo... are you ready for your present?"

I still wonder what it could be, but they hadn't given me the slightest clue about it. "I guess."

He nods and opens the door in slow motion. "I hope you like it."

"Oh, my God!" I rush into the room and look at a couch and a shelf, which weren't there when I left that morning. "What... How…" I can't even construct one simple sentence right now, I´m too confused and overwhelmed.

"So, you like it?" Michael closes the door and stands there, right behind me.

"Do I like it? I LOVE it. I can't believe it. But, Michael, you can´t give this to me, it´s too much. It's too expensive."

"It's okay. These are pieces of furniture from my apartment; I used them before I bought something new, but I still had them in the basement. I don´t need them anymore and you didn´t have any, so..."

I turn around to look at him, and tears are clouding my vision. "I... I don´t know what to say except… Thank you!"

"That's more than enough. C'mere." He wraps his arms around me and I hold onto him tightly.

"It's not enough," I whisper and the tears keep falling.

He takes a little step back to look at me and wipes a few tears away with his thumb. "Don´t cry. It´s your birthday – and on birthday you are not supposed to cry, you´re supposed to be happy."

"I am happy," I rush to assure him, "it's just... my feelings just overwhelmed me. I hadn't expected this. I hadn't even expected you to be here. Thank you for being here tonight, Michael."

He just nods and gazes down at me. His brown eyes roam over my face and stop at my lips, as he moves a strand of my hair behind my ear. I can feel that my palms are sweaty, just from his look.

"I'm gonna kiss you," he whispers, and I realize what he said only when he brushes his lips gently over mine. My eyes are still closed when he backs away a little. I have to force myself to open them again, just to catch sight of him looking at me warmly. He´s still close, only a few centimeters away from my face. A soft smile appears on his lips before he kisses me again.

This time, he doesn´t end the kiss right after it starts. As he wraps his arms around me, I run my hands around his neck and slide my fingers through his hair. His lips still move gentle and slow over my own and I have the feeling that he´s holding back a little... because of me...my non-existent experience with men... and my past with one jerk.

***

He places feather light kisses from the corner of my mouth, over my cheek to my ear. I have to hold onto him tightly, 'cause my knees are too weak to steady myself. "You okay?" he asks softly.

_Am I okay? No! I'm not okay. But, 'not okay' in a good way. My heart is racing, I feel dizzy and I can´t think straight. Is there any oxygen left in this room? _

"Uh-huh", is the only _word_ I can breathe.

I can feel his soft smile against the skin of my neck before he lifts one of his hands up to cup my cheek. He comes up face to face with me again and his dark eyes stare into mine for a moment. "Don´t forget to breathe," he says with a playful smirk, and in the next moment he´s kissing me again. And it's more intense this time.

I let my hand travel over one side of his neck to his shoulder and then down to his muscular chest. It makes me happy that Michael's heart races as much as mine - I can feel it under my fingertips.

Suddenly a very annoying sound disturbs us. It take me several seconds before I notice that it is coming from Michael's pants pocket. He leans his forehead against mine and sighs in frustration. "Looks like Max is coming between us again," he says and then pulls out his phone.

"I thought we were meetin' at 10 o´clock? It's not even 9 yet," Michael growls into the phone.

"I'm out, why? Do I need your permission to leave my apartment now?"

He runs his hand over his eyes in resignation. "Fine, I'm on my way."

Michael shoves his cell phone back into his pocket and looks at me regretfully. "I have to leave. Max is bein' overprotective again and he wants to see me right now."

I try to hide my disappointment. "Do you think he's suspicious?"

He shrugs. "Maybe. But I don't really care."

"You don't?"

"Well, sooner or later he's gonna find out anyway."

I look at him, shocked. "You think so?"

"He's smart. He'll figure it out at some point." Michael pulls me back into his arms and brushes my forehead with his lips. "You don´t have to be scared. But for now, I really have to leave."

"Okay," I whisper against his neck and let go of him to follow.

Angel is still in the kitchen and she looks over her shoulder as we enter the living room again.

"Later, Angel!" he calls.

"Bye," she calls back.

My heart feels heavy as we reach the front door. "I don´t want you to leave," I blurt out and immediately feel ridiculous.

_Be rational, DeLuca. The relationship with him is complicated enough. _

"I don´t want to leave either, but I have to. I´ll try to come over tomorrow, okay?"

He takes a step forward, so that I´m trapped between him and the wall. His hand roams over my arms up to my neck. "G'night, baby," he whispers into my ear and presses his lips against my cheek before he opens the door and leaves.

***

Angel is grinning like a Cheshire cat as I reach her in the kitchen.

"Just friends, huh?" she teases me.

"Well…" I can't hide the big smile. "Things changed today, I guess."

"So, you're together now? Like a real couple?"

"I don´t know. We kissed in my room, that´s all."

"That's all?" Angel sounds scandalized. "I want to know every ever-so-small detail about it. Sit down on the couch while I grab the ice cream."

I laugh and do what she told me. It feels so good to share moments like this with a friend.

**Confrontations December 6th, 2007 – Thursday – 6:30 am**

"Morning," I murmur when I enter the living room with narrowed eyes.

Angel is smiling at me. "Morning, Maria. I made breakfast; you want something, too? I also made coffee?"

"YES! That'd be great. I'm so tired. And I have to work until 7pm tonight. God!" Angel and I watched a movie on TV after Michael left yesterday and we went to bed late, well after midnight. I sit down on one of the chairs at the dining table and rest my head on my arms.

"You seeing Michael today?"

Michael – my heart turns a flip in my chest at the mention of his name. "I don't know. He told me that he was gonna try to come over this evening. But, you know the complications..."

"Do you think the two of you will be able to keep your relationship a secret?" Angel looks at me doubtfully.

I shrug. "I don't know. Probably not. Once someone from my or his gang finds out... God, I don´t even want to think about it. I'm so stupid for starting to meet him in first place."

"But you like him, don´t you? I mean, that´s the reason you meet him at all, right?"

I sigh. "That's the problem – I like him too much. There is no turning back now. Well, I don´t want to turn back and be Billys bimbo all over again, but then again... the whole thing... it really scares me."

"I don't think you have to be scared with Michael on your side. He seems like a strong guy to me. He won't let anything happen to you."

"Sometimes I have the feeling that he's a little too brave, you know? He would put himself in danger to protect me or one of the other members of his gang. And I don´t want him to get hurt or even killed because of me."

"You think your ex-boyfriend, what was his name again..?"

"Billy."

"Yes, of course. So, do you think Billy would kill somebody if worst comes to worst?"

A picture of Michael lying in the hospital after the fight with Billy pops into my mind and I wince. Actually, I don´t want to tell her this story, but maybe I'll feel better if someone else knows about it. "Michael got knifed by him a few weeks ago. He almost died and Billy wouldn´t have minded."

"OH!" Angel looks at me in shock.

"I know!"

***

Around 3 pm in the afternoon I arrive at work. Kate is already waiting for me when I open the back door of the restaurant that opens into the kitchen.

"Hey Maria," she smiles at me and wraps her arms around me.

"Huh?" I don't know what's going on.

"Belated best wishes for your birthday."

"Um, thank you. How do you know…?"

"Michael is back at work today and he and my husband stopped by here for lunch. He told me about your big day. So you're 18 now, right?"

"I am!" It sounds weird, but I really am.

"We should celebrate this. What do you think about a promotion?" Kate asks me.

"Are you serious?" I stare at her wide-eyed.

"Of course I am. I really need a third waitress in the restaurant. We built an extension to the building a few months ago and my other two waitresses are totally overworked. I know you have to be in school during the lunch-hour rush, but you can help in the evenings. It would mean longer workdays now and then, but of course, it would also mean a bigger pay check."

"That sounds great!" I squeak with delight. "I moved into another apartment a few days ago and I could really use the extra money."

"Okay, so let´s go to my office and take care of the paperwork."

***

I´m already off at 5 pm that afternoon. Kate sent me home as a belated birthday present, like she said. She also gave me a little time off until Sunday because the restaurant is gonna be redecorated over the weekend. I´ve decided to stop at the supermarket on my way home, to buy food. Angel told me that she´ll be home around 7 o´clock and I want to cook something for her this time.

I'm on my way down the steps to the subway station when I bump into someone else, who is going in the opposite direction.

"Oh, sorry, I didn´t..." I start to apologize, but when I lift my gaze the rest of the words stick in my throat. Max! And to his left: Michael. _Fantastic._

_Maybe it'd be best to just leave. _

"Look who's here!" Max says with an amused grin and he takes a step forward in a show of strength. "How irresponsible of Billy to let his little slut walk around New York all alone, when it´s almost dark."

I try to back off a little, but stumble when my foot misses the next step. Michael grabs my arm at the last moment, preventing me from falling to the ground.

"Leave her alone, Max," he says calmly, but his tone is determined.

Max looks at him, obviously startled by Michael's defence of me. "Should I remind you of just how many times Billy's intimidated Liz? He´s a bastard and..." then he turns to me, "...you are his bitch."

My heartbeat races as I see the angry look on his face. I slowly let my gaze shift to Michael – searching for help.

He seems to stop and think for a moment and then he nods more to himself than to me, takes a deep breath and stands up right next to me to face Max. "She's not anymore," he says confidently. I wonder where all his strength comes from.

Max looks at him puzzled, but suddenly he gets it. "She's the reason you´ve been so busy lately, right? Michael, are you fuckin' kidding me?!" He screams loud enough that all the people around us can hear it. "God, I should have known it the moment I saw you two at your apartment. And you told me all this bullshit..." Max grasps Michael by his collar and lifts his other hand, clenching his fist.

Michael doesn´t do anything to protect himself. "Go ahead, Max! Hit me. What are you waitin' for?"

Max lowers his fists in slow motion and turns his gaze to me. "Leave, now!" he growls.

I risk one short look at Michael who just nods, and I run down the steps – still freaked out and worried.

***

"Hey," Angel opens the door smiling, "you´re cooking."

"I try."

"So, how was your day? I didn't think you'd be here yet."

"My boss let me go home early because of my birthday. And, I got a promotion."

"Wow, that´s great."

"Yeah," I answer, but it doesn't sound very excited even to my own ears. I'm still all churned up inside.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic to me. Is everything okay?" She takes off her jacket and joins me in the kitchen.

"No, not really, I guess."

She takes some plates out of the cupboard and starts to set the table. "Wanna tell me about it?"

I get the pizza I've made out of the oven and set in on the table. "Well," I sit down on the opposite side of the table, "to cut the matter short, Max knows about Michael and me now. Max is his best friend in case I hadn't told you."

She almost chokes on her food. "Oh."

"Yeah. Double oh!"

"How did he react?"

"Not so good, as you can imagine. They screamed at each other. Okay, you might as well say Max screamed at Michael. And he almost hit him."

"Almost? What does that mean?"

"He changed his mind. Then he told me to leave. Maybe he hit him later. I don´t know. I haven´t heard from Michael."

"Surely, he'll come by later. Or, at least he'll call you."

I just nod and try to eat some of the pizza, even though I'm not hungry at the moment.

***

Angel and I sit on the couch and watch a total silly movie. I don't even know the name of it. It´s almost 10 pm and I still haven´t heard anything from Michael. I look at my cell phone for the thousandth time, but there's still nothing.

"Cool down, Maria'" my roommate says again.

"I´m gonna go shower. Will you...?"

"I'll answer your phone and I'll let him in, Maria. Of course, I will."

I smile softly. "Sorry, I'm a total basket case, I know it."

She smiles back. "You're not. It's okay."

***

I sigh as the hot water runs down my body. _This day began just perfect, why couldn't it end that way? _

I can't think of anything except the confrontation between Max, Michael, and me. Why hasn't he called yet? I'm sure he knows that I'm a total wreck right now. I try to imagine what could have happened after I left.

_Did Max hit Michael later? Or did they just fight with words? Did Max tell the other Bandits about it?_ That would be bad, 'cause two of them are in my class.

Or – and this scares me the most – did Max convince Michael that he can´t see me anymore? They've been best friends for years now. Michael wouldn't risk that friendship for a girl would he?

The moment I turn off the shower, I hear the doorbell ringing. I hold my breath and listen carefully. "Hey, Michael!" Angel's voice. "Come in. Maria´s showering, but I think she´ll be out soon."

"Maria?" Angel knocks softly on the bathroom door.

"Yeah?"

"Michael's here for you. I'm going to bed now. G'night."

"G'night."

I step out of the shower and look at the closed door. _What is waiting for me on the other side? Someone who tells me that everything will be okay or someone who wants to end things between us?_

I´ll find out soon enough.


	25. Chapter 25

**Part 25**

My hair is still wet when I step into the living room, but I don´t want him to wait any longer, and of course, I need to know what he's going to say.

He sits on the couch, staring at the TV. It's almost dark in the room; the only light is provided by the small lamp over the kitchen sink that we left on. A shiver runs down my spine as he turns his head just the slightest bit in my direction. I can´t see him clearly from where I'm standing, but I can already tell that he doesn´t look very happy.

"Hey," I whisper to hide my fear.

"Hey, beautiful," he replies quietly.

A soft smile appears on my lips. _It can't be that bad if he's talking like that, right? _With a little more confidence I walk over to him.

"Oh, my God, what happened to you?" I gasp when I notice the bruise on his left cheek and the cut at his lips. I sit down across from him on the coffee table and turn his face softly towards the kitchen light.

"We have to clean and cool this. Come on!" I take his hand in mine and guide him to the bathroom.

"Sit down." I point at the toilet seat. I take a washcloth out of the cabinet and wet it in the sink.

He does what I tell him to do and he rests his chin in one hand. "You know, I don´t want to complain or anything, but you didn´t even give me the slightest welcoming kiss." He tries to smirk.

"Is it too late for that now?" I ask, glad that he´s still in a good mood, despite being hit hard by someone.

"I guess not."

I kneel down in front of him, caressing his healthy cheek as I brush a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth, anxious to not hurt him. Then I start to dab the wet washcloth at the wounds on his lips and forehead. "Who did this to you? Max?"

He looks at me intensely for a few seconds before he answers, "Billy... Sean… Ryan."

"Billy?" I squeak. "I thought he was still in jail."

"Apparently not; Max and I were at the basketball court when they passed by. And Max was still pissed because of you, so he provoked Billy."

"Did Max tell Billy anything about me... us?"

"No, maybe Max doesn´t trust you yet, but in some way I think he trusts me and he would never turn you in. He knows Billy and what he's capable."

I sigh with relief. "Okay."

"You know, you're a good nurse. Maybe next time you could wear one of those short little white nurse's uniforms."

"Maybe next time you can patch yourself up," I counter with a smirk. I wouldn´t have liked to hear those words from Billy, 'cause I would have felt cheap, but when Michael says something like that... it's so different.

"Okay, I´m ready. Are there any other cuts, bruises or wounds on your body that aren't so obvious?"

"No nothing."

"Okay, then let's go back into the living room."

I stand up and toss the washcloth into the shower. When I start to leave the bathroom I can hear Michael groan in pain, even though he tries to hide it. His right hand is wrapped around his stomach.

"Nothing, huh?" I ask, concerned.

"Nothing that you can change. I can deal with it, don´t worry."

"Let me see anyway."

"Maria..."

"Michael!" I look at him sternly. "Lift up your shirt."

He gives up at that point. "Fine." He places his hand on the hem of his shirt and pulls it up a few centimeters. A blue bruise appears from the left side to the middle of his belly.

"Oh, my God!" I have to look away 'cause it seems too horrible and I can imagine how much pain he is in. "I knew it. I knew he would hit you there 'cause he knows that you're still hurt from his earlier attack."

"I'm okay.'

"Bullshit, Michael. You're not. We have to go to the hospital."

"What? No. Maria, I'm fine."

I hang my head. "Okay," I whisper and my lips are trembling 'cause I'm trying to stifle the tears that I can feel building. "I just… I just don't want you to die."

"What?" He closes the distance between us and wraps his arms around me. "Maria, I'm not gonna die, okay?" he says against my hair.

"I don't want to lose you." I sniffle against his chest.

"You won't."

"Let me at least get Angel. She works as a nurse. I don't know what she's learned until now, because she's still in training, but maybe she can have a look at it." I stare into his eyes pleadingly. He doesn´t want it, I can see it in the lines of his face, but he gives in.

"Fine. But don't wake her if she's already asleep, okay?"

"Okay," I release him and walk out of the bathroom in the direction of her bedroom.

"Angel?" I softly knock on her door.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come in for a second?"

"Sure."

I open the door and slip into her room.

"What´s wrong, I heard you guys kind of arguing."

"Michael's hurt. Billy hit him in the face and in the stomach."

"Yeah, I saw that when I opened the door for him. Really bad, huh?"

"He refuses to go see a doctor and I´m scared, 'cause it´s in the same place where Billy knifed him. So, I thought maybe you could have a look at his stomach. I know you´re still in training, but..."

"Okay, I'll do it, but Maria, there's no guarantee here. Without an x-ray and medical supervison it´s only speculation, you have to know that."

I nod. "Yeah, I know, but it would make me feel a little better."

We go back to the living room together. "She didn´t wake you up, did she?" Michael asks Angel.

"No, I have to do some homework. Okay, lay down on the couch."

Michael obeys, albeit reluctantly, and lifts his shirt. "Okay, let me see..." Angel sits down next to him and looks at his stomach. "I have to probe your belly and it might hurt a little, okay?"

"Go ahead."

Angel starts to probe his skin, centimeter by centimeter. He winces in pain from time to time, but refuses to say anything or even make a sound. "Maria, can you get me the penlight from the desk in my room?"

"Sure." I go get the pen and hand it over.

"Thanks. Just follow the light with your eyes, Michael... Good. Do you feel dizzy at all?"

"No."

"Headache? Irregular heartbeat? Pressure in your stomach?"

"Nope."

"Okay, if you develop any of those symptoms you need to go to a doctor – immediately. It seems like it´s just a bruise. Your abdomen is supple. Anyway, I'd advise you to go see a doctor, at the very least, if the pain and the bruising on your skin doesn't improve in the next couple of days."

"Okay!"

Angel stands up and turns to me. "There are some ice packs in the freezer for his face. And..." She walks to the bathroom and comes out with a tube in her hand. "This is a cooling gel. You can rub that on the bruise on the stomach, but not in the face."

"Thanks, Angel," I tell her.

"Never mind. Good night then."

***

I go back into the living room with the ice pack wrapped in a towel. Michael sits upright on the couch again, his eyes following my movements. When I stand right in front of him, he grabs my wrist and pulls me down to straddle his lap.

"Be careful, Michael. I don´t want to hurt you even more." I start to press the ice pack softly against his bruise on the cheek. "What else did Max say? I can´t believe that he knows now."

"Oh, he sooo kicked my ass when we got home – in a literal sense. He yelled and screamed at me, called me a traitor and then left my apartment."

"I guessed as much."

"But after two hours he came back, willing to listen to the whole story. He´s still pissed, but we´re like brothers. We went out to play basketball and he wasn´t screaming anymore. So I think that's a good sign."

"Okay. Make sure you watch your lips better. I can´t even really kiss you now."

"I know. As if Billy knew what I was planning tonight, huh?"

"Don´t say that." I let the icepack fall to the couch and wrap my arms tightly around him. "I´m so scared that something bad will happen to you," I whisper against the skin of his neck.

He lays his hands on my shoulder and soflty pushes me back away from him. "What's that all about, Maria? I've been hurt countless times before today. Why're you so scared this time? Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Ava came to me at school today. You know who Ava is, right?"

He nods.

"She told me that there's a Hurricane meeting tomorrow afternoon at Billy´s place. He´s planning something big against the Bandits, she said. And he wants to talk about it tomorrow with the rest of the gang."

"He attacks us whenever he can, Maria. That's Billy."

I shake my head wildly. "No, Michael. This is different. He's never made such a big deal about it. I'm scared that he´ll do something very bad. What if he plans to kill someone? Maybe you?"

He scratches his eyebrow. "I´ll talk to Max about it."

"I´ll go to Billy´s apartment tomorrow," I blurt out.

"WHAT? You're kidding me!"

"I have to." I gaze down at his chest.

"No, you don't. Look at me, Maria." He waits until I lift my gaze to his. "You WON`T. I can´t help you, if you're trapped at his place."

"I wouldn´t forgive myself if something happened to you and I could've prevented it," I whisper.

"Well, I wouldn´t forgive myself if Billy hurt you tomorrow and I could've prevented it. So, Maria, promise me, that you won´t go there. It's too dangerous. We'll think of something else."

I don't answer.

"Maria!" His tone is a little angry now. "Promise me."

"Okay!" I don't want to, 'cause I think it´s the only way to find out about the truth, but I know that he really cares. And I´m kind of relieved, 'cause the thought of going back to Billy´s apartment really freaked me out. "I promise."

I pick up the icepack and press it at his bruised cheek again. He lets his hands wander over my thighs to my hips to pull me closer against his body. "Think you can give me a little kiss again?" He moves my hand with the icepack away from his face and lets it fall to the couch again. Gently, so as to not hurt him, I start to press soft kisses against his forehead, his temple, his right cheek and finally I brush my lips over his mouth – gently so that the cut won´t start to bleed again.

"Stay here tonight?!" I half ask, half plead.

"Sure."


	26. Chapter 26

**Part 26**

_**Savin' you December 7th, 2007 – Friday – 7:00 am**_

I wake up the next morning when a warm hand comes up over my hip to caress my belly. I smile against the pillow, 'cause I know that it's Michael. He squeezes his body against mine from behind and presses a kiss to my neck.

"Morning," he mumbles. The feel of his breath over my skin sends shivers through my body and the thought of his bare chest, which is pressing against my back, doesn't make it any better.

"Take off your shirt," he had told me last night when we went to bed. I had done it without a second thought. He wasn't in the mood for sex, I knew that. His body was aching and exhausted. But it felt good to just feel his skin against my own. He held me in his arms all night and made sure that I was warm.

"Michael?" I clear my throat.

"Uh-huh?"

"Are you my boyfriend?" _I know, that's a really stupid and total ridiculous question to ask. _

He lifts his head and supports it with his hand on one side. "You want me to be?"

_Well, that wasn´t the answer I'd hoped for, but I decide to be honest._ I turn over until I am laying on my back and look up to him. "Yeah."

"I am, then," he whispers with a smirk.

"You didn't just say that because I said I want you to, right? I mean, I really have to know if there is something... _real_ between us."

He breathes out. "Look, Maria. I'm not good at conversations like this. Honestly, I suck at them. I don´t know what will happen with us in the next few weeks, months or years. But I promise you, I won´t be the next Billy for you. So for now: Yes, I am your boyfriend because I want to be, okay?"

I can´t hide the big smile on my face. "And you say you aren't good at this?" With a quick movement, I pull his face down to me and kiss him. Hopefully, I won't hurt him to much.

***

"I have to leave now. My shift at work starts in 20 minutes. I'm already gonna be late." He stands up from the kitchen chair, sets his cup in the sink and grabs his jacket, which is still lying on the couch.

I follow him to the front door. "Will I see you again today?"

"Depends. Do you have to work?"

"Nope. Only school for today and then I'm free for the rest of the weekend."

He rummages around for something in his jacket pocket. "Here!" He presses something cold into my palm. A key.

"What's that for?"

"My apartment; Max knows that we´re together now, so you can have it and come by whenever you want."

"But what if some of the others will see me?"

"They don´t hang around at my place very often. But I think I'll tell them anyway, so you don´t have to worry about them, too."

"You will tell them? Kyle, too?"

"He has to know, Maria. And once he knows and calms down about it, you won´t have to be afraid of him ever again. He would never touch my girl!"

"He did before….." I interject.

"I know and there is no excuse for that. I don´t want to downplay what he did. But when he did that, it was a different time, now you belong to me and he'll accept it."

"Okay, I trust you about this. When will you be home today?"

"I guess around four."

"Okay, I´ll come to your place then."

He bends down to kiss me carefully.

"You know, I hope that your lips heal soon, Michael. These soft, hardly noticable kisses don´t satisfy me."

"Do you realize what you just said?" he asks with a grin.

"I do."

"Okay, I have to go. And Maria, remember what you promised me."

_The Billy thing._ "I will."

***

School was really boring today. Two of my teachers were ill and the lessons fell out. The other students walked to some cafe near school, but I have to save my money and I don't have any real friends here, so I just stayed in the classroom and read a few chapters in my history book.

The time passed by so damn slowly and I couldn't wait for the school day to end, 'cause I want to see Michael again. But it's only 3 o'clock now. He won't be home until 4, he said. So I decide to go home first to take a quick shower.

"Maria? Hey, Maria!" I freeze in place when I hear Sean´s voice from behind. What does he want? I try to get my shocked and horrified expression under control before he reaches me and I turn around.

"Sean, hey. I didn't see you. What's up?" My heart's beating like crazy, so I'm surprised that my voice sounded so normal to my own ears.

"Come with me to Billy's. Something VERY big has happened?" He sounds kind of puzzled.

"What do you mean by that?"

My cousin looks around as if he wants to make sure that no one will hear his next words. "We have the Hurricane chick."

My eyes widen in horror. "Which one?"

"The girlfriend of the big boss!"

I clench my teeth so I don't let out a whimper when the realization that Liz is with Billy right now hits me. "Are you sure?" I press, trying not to sound as hysterical as I feel at this moment.

Sean just nods. "So are you coming?"

I remember the promise that I made to Michael; I told him that I wouldn't go to Billy´s place. But Liz is there with all the other Bandits and I know Billy won´t treat her as well as the Hurricans treated me when they kidnapped me. I have to get her out of there, I just don´t know how.

"Okay, I´m coming with you." Hopefully, I won´t regret this.

****

Nervously I fumble around in the pocket of my jacket until my hand makes contact with the cell phone. Good, it was still there – just in case...

Billy opens the door for us and looks at me in surprise. "DeLuca, what an unusual guest in my house lately." I can see the anger in his eyes, but he steps aside to let Sean and me in. Ryan and Brody are already sitting on the couch.

"Maria!" Ryan says in surprise.

"I know, I know," I say and lift my hand up to stop them from making any other comments. "Listen, I know, I haven't been around much lately, okay? But I have a job and school and my mom left me alone in our house, so there are a few things I have to do in my life right now." I pull my jacket off and throw it on the couch. "And," I turn around to face Billy, who is standing behind me, "I heard you were very unruly and kidnapped a Hurricane slut?" I force a smile onto my face and wait for him to answer. Hopefully, he doesn´t recognize my disgust for him, which I try to hide so badly.

A wide grin appears on Billy´s face. _Good, he´s playing along with me._ That makes me more confident for my next move. "Show me!"

Billy nods and leads me into the kitchen. Liz' head snaps up when she hears the door open and our eyes meet. I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent me from showing any reaction. She looks so scared and lost, it breaks my heart. She has a blue bruise on her right cheek; her clothes are dirty so I know Billy must have thrown her to the ground when he attacked her. Billy had chained her to a chair and a wide piece of tape covers her mouth.

"So, what do you say?" Billy says from behind me."

"Poor girl!" I answer in a cold voice. "She looks like a timid fawn! Do you have something special in mind for what we're gonna do with her?"

"That's revenge for kidnapping you. But we won´t let her just go in a few days. This will be worse. They messed with me, now they will feel the consequences."

Fear creeps over my whole body. What will he do to her? I have to get Liz out of here very quickly. "So," I pull myself together and turn around to meet his gaze, "you did that to take vengeance for my kidnapping? This is very brave of you!" I point my finger to his chest and give him a cheeky grin.

"Yeah," he grabs me by my ass and pulls me to his body, "I think I deserve a reward for it, huh?" His hands stroke over my body roughly.

"I guess you do," I whisper. "Later!"

"Hey bitch, you're lucky Maria's here now; she can take you to the bathroom," Billy tells Liz and reaches her in several long strides. He releases her from the chair in a harsh way and throws her in the direction of the bathroom. "She's had to pee for a while now. Go with her, but don´t take the tape off her mouth. And if she gives you any trouble, just kick her or beat her; she's so weak, even you should be able to handle her." I want to slap him right across his face, but that won´t be very helpful. Right now, I have to play along with him and wait for a good opportunity to get her out.

Liz and I enter the bathroom together and the moment I close the door, she slumps down against the wall next to me and starts to cry heavily. I kneel down in front of her. As I touch her shoulder she winces and looks at me in horror. I think she is unsure if she really can trust me, now that I showed up at Billy´s place and acted like I´m still a friend of the Hurricanes.

"It´s okay, Liz," I whisper, afraid that Billy could hear us, "I´m here to help you. I´ll find a way to get you out of here."

She looks at me intensely for several seconds before she hugs me desperately and starts to cry again. We stay in this position for a short while until she calms down a little bit. "You want something to drink?"

She nods and I stand up to get some water in a toothbrush mug. "Okay, pull the tape away from your mouth but be careful and don´t destroy it, we have to put it back afterwards."

She takes some sips of the water. "Thank you. And now you have to get out of here," she hisses.

I look at her in surprise. "What? NO, I won´t leave you alone with that bastard."

She takes my shoulders in her small hands. "You can't do anything right now. Go and tell the others."

I shook my head. "No, no, Liz. I can send a text message to Michael; I have the cell out there in the living room."

"You. Get. Out." Liz tells me again in a firm voice. "Right now, all the others are here, Maria. There is no need to put you in danger as well, 'cause there is nothing you can do right now. And I don´t want you to get hurt by Billy. I heard what he said to you about some reward and I´m not stupid, Maria. We both know what he wants and it would kill Michael if you did that just to stay here with me. You go to Max and Michael now and you tell them everything. But promise me that you won´t let them come over here right now. Billy has a gun in the kitchen and he would kill every Bandit who tried to get in here."

"Oh my God", I cover my mouth with my hand. "I don´t want to leave you alone!" It's my turn to cry now.

"I know. I don't want to be alone either. But that's the only possibility that we have. Stop crying or Billy will start to wonder what´s going on. I heard them talking about going to some skater event tomorrow afternoon in Manhatten, so maybe they'll leave me here then. That could be a possibility to get me out of here."

I take some deep breaths and nod. "Okay, I´ll try to find out more about that."

Billy chains Liz up again when we leave the bathroom. "Did the bitch make any trouble?"

"Nope. She was no problem. You're right, she´s too weak to defend herself." We leave together to go into the living room and I glance back at Liz for a second before the door swings shut.

I grab my jacket from the sofa. "Okay, I have to work this evening. What are your plans for tomorrow? I don´t have to work then."

"We're going to this skater event in Manhatten."

"Boring!" I say to show my disinterest for skating people. "When will you be back?"

"Around 6 pm, I guess."

"And what will you do with her?" I point to the closed kitchen door.

"We haven´t decide yet," Billy answers. "Maybe we'll toss her in the trunk of my car or something. There is no way I´ll leave her here alone, not even if she´s tied up."

"Okay, I have to go now. I think I´ll come around to this event."

Billy leads me to the front door and presses me against the wall. "I was hoping you'd join me later tonight and give me that reward we talked about."

"I don´t know how long I have to work."

"I don't care. The others will stay for a while I guess, so feel free to come by later, or else I might have to do the Bandit bitch – 'cause I can´t go out tonight with her in my kitchen and I definitely want to get laid today. So it's you or her."

"Make sure the others are gone tonight," I say with a soft grin, although I could throw up right now.

"No problem!" he replies and finally lets go of me, so that I could slip out of the door quickly.

I run down the stairs to get out of his building. The cold wind is blowing in my face when I reach the street and all I can think is: _I got out, but Liz is still with them._

TBC


	27. Chapter 27

**Part 27**

I run up the stairs to Michael´s apartment; it's already after 6 pm now. Maybe he´s already worried about where I am, 'cause I told him I would be there at 4 o'clock. I wanted to call him right after I left Billy's, but the damn battery on the cell phone is dead. Breathless I try to find the key in my bag after I reach his front door.

Some voices from inside cause me to hesitate. "She's with the Hurricanes, Michael. I saw one of them picking her up at school." It's Kyle's voice. Damn.

"Maybe she was forced to go there," Michael answers, and I can tell that he´s pissed.

"Or maybe, she´s just a traitor and you fell for her!" That was Max and he doesn't sound very pleasant either. Great, so now they think I betrayed them.

"Bullshit, Max. We have to go and find her."

"Max, tell him that he´s insane," Kyle complains. "We can´t just go to the Hurricanes. Maybe it's a trap and they're all waiting for you to show up there."

"Michael, Kyle is right. Traitor or not, she´s on her own there. We can´t do anything."

"My girlfriend is possibly at Billy's place, her cell is turned off, and you tellin' me I should just sit here and wait..."

Suddenly my hand wraps around the cold metal of the key in my bag. I pull it out and in less than a second and I open the door wildly. "Stop yelling at each other. I'm here now."

For a few moments they all look in my direction, puzzled. "She has a key to your apartment? I don't have one!" Kyle hisses angrily.

"Maria," Michael takes several long steps towards me, "why didn't you use your damn cell? Where have you been?" He´s more than pissed.

"I was at Billy´s place, I couldn´t call you and then the battery on this thing went dead."

"You promised me you wouldn't go to him. So what the fuck did you do there?"

"Stop yelling at me!" I grumble, also a little pissed now.

"We're leaving!" Max says. "She's back, she´s alive. This whole racket was for no reason." Max and Kyle make their way to the front door.

"Yeah, thanks for your help," Michael mutters in a sacastic tone.

"You´d better stay," I reply, calmer now as I look in Max' direction. "They kidnapped Liz."

"What?" he screams and grabs my arm in one quick movement.

"Let her go, Max," Michael orders.

"They have Liz. BILLY has Liz." I repeat and stare into Max' angry eyes.

"Bullshit! You're lying. Liz is at work"

"Fine, if you think so, then go on and believe whatever you want," I snap back.

Without another word, Max storms out of the apartment and Michael motions for Kyle to follow him before he kicks the door shut with one of his feet.

"I´m not lying, Michael. Liz is there. I saw her and I talked to her." My voice quivers from lack of control over my feelings.

"I know," he answers and I´m glad that he sounds normal again. His strong arms pull me into a hug, and it feels so good to be with him again.

"I just went with Sean after school 'cause he told me that they had Liz. I had to see if she's okay," I mutter against his chest.

He guides me to the sofa and sits down on it, pulling me into his lap. His hands grasp my face softly, so that I have to look straight into his eyes. "Did he hurt you?"

"No." Tears are running down my cheeks and he brushes them away with his thumbs. "But he hurt Liz. We have to get her out of there."

Suddenly the front door is thrown open again. "Tell me every detail!" Max orders, totally flustered as he sits down next to us on the armchair. Kyle follows him and shuts the door behind him, leaning back then with his arms crossed.

"What makes you finally believe her?" Michael asks his best friend, his expression confused. I scramble out of his lap to sit down next to him.

"I called Liz at work, but the other woman told me that she never made it there today." He sounds desperate to me. "Why didn´t you do something to get her out of there?"

"'Cause the whole gang is there right now. How was I supposed to get her out without the others noticing?"

"Then you should have stayed with her, if you're saying you're not a Hurricane anymore. She's all alone now with those bastards."

"That's enough!" Michael leans forward, so that Max can´t look at me anymore and has to focus on him instead. "Are you really asking her why she got out of there?"

"Michael," I lay one hand on his shoulder, "it´s okay." His muscles relax then and he leans back again. I know that Max is just acting so weird, 'cause he´s scared about his girlfriend.

I focus on him again and speak to him with a calm tone: "Liz told me to go. I didn´t want to, but she demanded it. She said I should go to you and tell you."

"Where does that sonofabitch live?" he wants to know. "I`m getting her out there now and I will kill him if it´s necessary."

"I also promised Liz that I wouldn't let you go to get her now. Billy has a gun and he'll use it if any of you tried to get in there."

A sudden knock on the door interrupts us. "Who´s that?" Michael asks Kyle, who´s looking through the spyhole.

"Lonnie and Alex. Max called them after he found out that Liz wasn´t at work."

_Great, now the Bandits will be complete. _

Kyle opens the door to let the rest of them in. "I hope it´s important!" Lonnie says the second she walks in. When she comes face to face with me, she rolls her eyes and looks at Michael. "You kidnapped the bitch again? The last time wasn´t very successful; Billy didn't give a damn 'bout her. So why is she here? It's hard enough to put up with her at school."

"We didn't kidnap anybody this time." Max stands up and walks around the room. "She's one of us now, I guess."

I look up at the dark haired man in surprise as the room goes dead silent for a few seconds.

"That´s a joke, right?" Lonnie hisses back at him.

"She's with Michael and she just told us that Billy kidnapped Liz." Max answers.

"Oh, come on. That's a trap. Are you blind or something? What makes you think we can trust her?"

Max gazes at me and speaks to Lonnie. "Michael trusts her and so do I. And that´s that! We have to find a way to get Liz out."

"Well, do the Hurricanes know that she changed fronts?"

"No, not yet," Michael says.

"So, then it's easy. She will get Liz out."

"She's not going there again," Michael replies more to Max than to Lonnie.

Max nods. "Right. She can´t go there again. How would she get her out unnoticed? Billy would kill both of them."

"Maybe I should go back there," I whisper but everyone, especially Michael had heard it.

"What?" He looks at me in horror.

"I can distract Billy so that he won´t hurt her at least."

"That's bullshit, Maria. So you prevent Liz from getting hurt and instead you get hurt. No way! I'm not gonna let that happen."

"Maybe we should call the police?" Alex intervenes now.

"Oh come on, then we would have to testify in court and the Hurricanes would come clean about us, too. And we would all go to jail as well," Lonnie tells him.

"There might be a way to get her out tomorrow afternoon," I suggest.

"What do you mean?" Max asks and sits down again to hear what I have to say.

"There is a skater event in Manhatten tormorrow. They're all goin' there and I asked Billy what they'll do with Liz during the event. He told me that they might lock her in the truck of his car then."

"That could work," Michael muses.

****

Michael opens the front door and enters his own apartment. A quick glance on the watch tells me that it´s already 10pm now. The others left a few hours ago and Michael went down again to check and make sure that Max was alright.

"How is he feeling?" I lift my head from the sofa to look at him questioningly.

He comes over to me and sits down at the end of the couch, so that I´m able to crawl up a little bit to place my head on his thigh. "He's upset, 'cause he knows that he can´t do anything to help Liz right now and he has to wait until tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know exactly how this feels."

"Hey," he lays his hand on my cheek and turns my face until I can look up at him, "don´t feel guilty or anything, okay? They all know that you couldn't do anything."

"I'm trying."

"Wanna go to bed? I´m kind of tired and I want this crappy day to end really soon."

"Yeah, good idea."

Five minutes later we are lying in bed together. Michael wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to his body. "Are you okay?" he whispers and looks down at me while one of his hands caress my hair. I can see just the profile of his face, which is illuminated from the soft light of the moon.

"I can´t stop thinking about Liz," I answer honestly.

He bends down to press his warm lips against mine. "I know. Try to sleep a few hours and tomorrow we will her get out."

I'm still lying awake in Michael's bed. I can´t forget what Billy had told me before I left.

_"I definitely want to get laid today. So it´s you or her."_

How can I lie here and know that Billy will rape Liz? I have to get back. Carefully I lift myself up and rest on my left ellbow to watch Michael, who´s been asleep for a while now. My fingers brush lightly through his hair. "I´m sorry, Michael, but I have to go." I whisper and press a soft kiss against his right temple before I get out of the bed without waking him up.

I get dressed again in the dark and take my cell phone with the fully-charged battery. I know that there is a little notepad and a pencil at the waredrope next to the front door, so I decide to leave Michael a little message.

_Hey,_

_I´m sorry, but I have to go back to Billy's. There is something I didn´t tell you. Billy said some things to me and I think he will rape Liz if I don't go back. I can´t live and be aware of the fact that I could have saved her from that._

_Maria_

I glance back at him on the bed one last time and wonder if I will ever have the chance to kiss him again.

****


	28. Chapter 28

**Part 28**

The moment I reach Billy's front door Sean comes out of the apartment. "Hey, Ria. How was work?"

"Um…" _God, I'm so nervous, I can´t think straight_. "It was okay, I guess."

"Okay, I´m leaving. So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Sure."

I enter Billy´s home quietly. No one is in the living room right now; I guess the others are already gone. A muffled sound from the kitchen gets my attention. "Come on, little slut," I hear Billy say and hope that I'm too late. Has he already touched Liz?

"Hey baby," I announce myself from the living room and then swing the kitchen door open. Billy is pressing Liz against the wall, her arms are tied behind her back, but thank God, she's still fully clothed. "You couldn't wait for me, huh?" I try to sound saucy as I cross the room to stand right next to them. A quick glance at Liz reveals that she's relieved to see me.

"Come on, you don´t really want somebody who's probably already had half of the Bandits, do you?" I whisper into his ear, desperately hoping that it would make him let Liz off the hook.

Billy looks between Liz and me for several seconds. "Right, baby, I guess you´re much more fun."

"That´s what I wanted to hear," I say and force a smile at him. "But first let me take a shower. I'm kind of smelly from work."

"Take her to the bathroom with you, she needs to pee again." He leaves the kitchen then without looking back and I take a deep, shaking breath.

"Okay, come on," I whisper and guide her to the bathroom with me. Her whole body is quivering. The moment I lock the bathroom door behind us Liz starts to cry harshly.

"Oh, my God, Maria."

I wrap my arms around her and try to calm her down. "Shhh, it´s okay, Liz. I'm here and I won't leave without you. Turn around, I´m gonna untie you while we're in here."

"I told Max that you´re here," I tell her.

She whirls around quickly. "But he´s not coming here, right?" she asks a little too loudly, eyes wide open, and I press my hand over her mouth.

"Shhh, not so loud or he'll hear us. No, I told him that they can't get in here."

"I´m feeling so guilty now, Maria. So, they sent you again to save me?"

I shake my head. "No, they don´t know, they didn´t want me to come here again. But they'll know when Michael wakes up and sees that I´m gone."

"You should have stayed away, Maria. They were right." Liz is looking at the ground now.

"Hey," I lift her head up with two fingers, "you know what would have happened if I hadn't come back, right?"

She nods, ashamed.

"And there is no way I´m gonna let that happen to you, okay? He will leave you alone tonight, I promise." I turn around to turn the faucet in the shower.

"Are you really gonna shower now?" Liz asks, confused.

"Yeah, otherwise Billy will be suspicious, he´s not that dumb."

****

A few minutes later I´m out of the shower and in my clothes again. My hair is still wet, but I don´t care right now.

"I have to tie you back up, okay? But I won´t make it too tight, so that you can untie yourself if it´s necessary."

"What will you do, Maria? How we are supposed to get out of here?"

_Yeah, what will you do, Maria? I don´t have a damn clue. It´s not like I can just kiss Billy good night and he will drift off to a peaceful sleep then. He wants to have sex! God, I don´t want him to touch me._

Liz must have noticed my clueless expression. "You don´t have any kind of plan, do you?" She asks, scared.

I shake my head. "No. Not yet!"

"God, Maria!" She hides her face in her hands and starts crying again.

"Don´t cry. I've dealt with him the last few years, and I'll deal with him tonight, too, if it´s necessary." I´m gonna die if I have to really do this, but I have to sound confident for her. "If I don't come back to get you by 3am, then you've gotta untie yourself and get out, okay?"

She shakes her head. "No, I´m not leaving without you as well. He would know you helped me if I left without you and then he'll ..." She can´t get out the last words, but I know what she was going to say. He would kill me.

"Okay, you said he has a gun. Where is it, do you know?"

"No, he took it with him this afternoon and I haven´t seen it again."

I sigh. "Okay. We have to get out there now."

***

I enter the living room after placing Liz back on the chair in the kitchen again and making sure that she could free herself when the time comes. Billy is lying on the couch watching a stupid reality show on MTV. "Did she give you any problems?"

"Nope. Everything went fine. She´s too exhausted to defend herself." _I should think about taking some acting classes. _

"Good, so get your little ass in my lap now," he orders with a smug grin.

What I am supposed to do now? The only thing I can do is to play along, at least for a while. So I walk over to him and straddle his lap. He immediately starts to kiss me roughly. It takes all my strength and willpower to kiss him back. He would get pissy if I didn't do it the way he wants it. His hands are roaming over my back to press me against his body, his bristly beard is hurting the skin on my face. My head is hurting 'cause I´m desperately trying to think of a way out for Liz and me.

First I have to make sure that he doesn´t have the gun somewhere at his body, so my hands are wandering over all the parts of his body where a gun could be hidden. He´s moaning in response to that and it gives me the creeps and fills me with disgust. There is no sign of any weapon in his clothes. So, it has to be somewhere here in the living room, right? Liz told me he took it out of the kitchen. And there is nothing but a casual bed in his bedroom. No other furniture.

I break the disgusting kiss to talk to him. "Let's go to your bedroom."

"Why, we can do it right here," he pats the sofa with a saucy grin.

I force a smile back at him. "But this thing is so small and," I lean forward to whisper in his ear, so he can´t see my distorted face, "I wanna give you a full body massage, so you have to lay down and strech out for that." I really hope he´s gonna play along with this; he's never been a big fan of any kind of foreplay ever.

"Uhhh, baby, that sounds good. Carrying around that little Bandit-slut really pulled some muscles today." _YES! _

I stand up then, taking his hands and leading him to the other room. "Ok, strip down to nothing," I request, still hoping he won´t change his mind suddenly.

"Baby, I really like you this way," he says, his voice aroused as he does what I asked of him.

_Go to hell, sonofabitch! _

"Okay, now, lay down prone. I want to start with you backside," I tell him when he stands in front of me totally naked.

I climb on top of him and start to massage his shoulders first. Quick glances around the room let me know that there is nothing big and heavy which I could use to knock him out. Well, I´m sure if there was something, I wouldn't be strong enough to knock him unconscious with it either.

"Uhh baby, this feels really good," I hear Billy mutters. God, I wish I could just do one of these tricky grips where you can knock someone out with just a little pressure on the right location on the body. But unfortunately, I never learned how to do that.

_Come on, think of something, Maria! There has to be something that you can do. Thank God, he´s lying on his stomach. This position isn't so scary. _My glance stops at the half open bedroom door then. There is a key in it...

Would that be possible? Could I lock him in here and then get Liz and leave? I don´t know, I'll have to be really quick. But this is the only chance I have. Well, there is another possibility, but that would include having sex with him and waiting until he falls asleep. Not a very good option either. And I don´t know if I could survive doing that ever again.

Okay, I have to lock him in here. But how am I gonna do this? I have to get up, place the key on the other side of the door and lock it. How long will this take? I have to find a good explanation to get up again without making him suspicious.

"Do you have any body lotion?" I asked in a sassy tone.

"What?" He tries to look at me and lifts up his head.

"This massage will go a lot better if I use some body lotion or oil," I explain and bend down to nibble on his earlobe to distract him from any other thoughts.

"There's some in the bathroom, I guess," he groans into the pillow.

"Okay, stay in this position and let me get it," I whisper and get out of the bed. I walk through the room until I reach the door. "You really will enjoy this, baby!" I say to make noise while I pull the key out of the lock.

"Oh yeah," he says and turns around the moment I place the key back into the lock on the other side of the door. My heart stops beating for a second and I look at him in shock. "What the fuck," he hisses and makes a move to get out of the bed.

I wake from my sudden shock, slam the door shut and turn the key, so that he´s trapped in his bedroom now. My hands are shaking almost uncontrolable. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!

"I knew it, you treasonous bitch! You're one of the fucking Bandits!" He hammers at the door loudly and it won´t take long for him to get out. This is an old apartment, the doors aren´t very strong. Suddenly he lets go of the door, maybe to get into his pants.

I finally remember what I have to do and run into the kitchen. "Liz, Liz. We have to get out really quickly," I tell her frantically. I'm opening some drawes to get a knife or anything else that could be used as a weapon in case Billy makes it out of his room to quickly.

"What did you do?", she wants to know while she unties herself.

"I locked him in the bedroom. But the door doesn´t seem very steady to me, he'll be out soon."

Together we run back into the living room and the pounding on the door starts again. "I´m gonna kill you, Maria!" He screams and his voice sounds dangerous.

We reach the front door, but it´s locked. "Shit," I hiss and search aroud the keyboard next to the door to find the right key. "There are so many keys, I don´t know which is the right one," I almost scream at Liz, who is staring at the bedroom door.

"Liz, Liz!" I try to get her attention. "Look around for the gun in here, okay? I have to figure out which key is right and I don´t know if I can do it in time."

She nods at me, scared, and starts to look in every locker, which is in the living room. I´m concentrating on my mission again, but my hands are still shaking so bad that I have a hard time getting the keys into the lock.

The sound of cracking wood splits the air and I turn around quickly; I can see the the bedroom door move. _A few more hits on the door and he will be out._

"I can´t find it," Liz says desperately.

"Okay, forget it and come here," I scream at her while I´m still trying to unlock the door.

Suddenly I can turn the key in the lock fully around and the door snaps open. "Thank God!" I whisper and rip it open. I grab Liz' hand and drag her along with me out into the hallway. When we reach the top of the steps, I can hear Billy in his aparmtent again. "He managed to get out, we have to hurry!" I yell at Liz, while pulling her downstairs as fast as I can.

"Make your last wish, DeLuca!" Billy's voice echoes through the whole staircase and I also can hear the sound a weapon makes, when it's being loaded.

Liz and I finally reach the outer door and keep running along the street. She´s running with a slight limp and I guess Billy did that to her. "We have to run faster," I gasp at her, but I know she isn´t able to do it.

All of the sudden, a car pulls up next to us, brakes squealing in protest at the sudden stop. I let out a startled scream, assuming that it's another one of the Hurricanes. "Get in the car," a male voice yells at us through the open passengers' window, but it´s too dark to spot a face.

"It´s Kyle," Liz says with relief and tears the door open. We almost crash into the backseat when a random shot slams into the sheet metal of the car. I quickly close the door behind us and we take off with spinning wheels. I carefully take a glance out of the rear window.

Billy is standing there on the sidewalk with his legs wide apart, the gun in his left hand… making the promise to kill me.

****

After we drive around a few corners, Kyle stops the car on the road side and turns around to look at Liz. "Are you hurt?"

She shakes her head. "No, nothing serious."

Then he glances at me. "What about you?" He asks, his eyes soft and worried – much to my surprise there is no disgust or anger in his voice.

"I´m fine, too."

Kyle nods.

"How did you find us?" I blurt out.

"Kind of haphazardly. Michael called us after he realized you left and we just got in our cars and drove around the streets in the Hurricanes territory in hope that one of us would find you."

He pulls out his cell phone then and dials a number. "It's me. I found them," he replies to the person on the phone.

...

"No, they're fine. Both!"

...

"Okay." He hangs up then and starts the engine again.

***


	29. Chapter 29

**Part 29**

Kyle drove us to the building where Michael and Max live and then left. The guys aren´t at home yet, so Liz and I are sitting on the stairs in semi-darkness, waiting on them, 'cause we didn't take the key with us when we left earlier.

"Thank you, Maria," Liz whispers and leans her head on my shoulder. "You risked everything to save me."

"You´re welcome," I simply answer. Too many other things are keeping my head busy right now.

"Billy knows now," Liz states.

"Yeah," I reply with a trembling voice. _That´s what is really freaking me out!_

"I´m sure Michael, Max and Kyle will do everything they can to protect you," she tries to comfort me. I look at her silently, without a clue as to what to say. Right now, I´m just really tired and I don´t want to think about what might happen tomorrow.

Noise in the hallway lets us know that someone is finally coming home. I´m a little scared. How will Michael react? I went to Billy again, secretly, while he slept. I´m sure he was shocked when he woke up alone.

"Liz," Max calls out the moment he sees her and takes three quick steps to reach her faster. Liz raises herself up from the stairs and throws herself into his open arms. "Oh God, Max, I'm so glad you´re here now," she sighs.

I´m not sure, but it looks like even Max has wet eyes. "Let´s go inside," he whispers against her hair, and then he lets go of her and turns to looks in my direction. "I´m sorry that I didn´t trust you at first."

I just nod. "Where is Michael?"

"He should be here soon. I called him after Kyle called me. He wasn't very far away from here. You wanna come in and wait for him?"

I´m really cold by now, but I know that Max and Liz need to be alone, so I shake my head. "No, it´s okay. I'll just wait here for him."

Max searches around in his pants pocket for a moment and hands something to me. "Take my key to let yourself in." After that, they head for their apartment. Max squeezes my shoulder lightly and darts a grateful look at me. I smile at him weakly in reply.

***

I got into Michael's apartment a few minutes ago and took a seat on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter. I'm still wearing my jacket and shoes, 'cause I'm not sure what will happen. Maybe he'll kick me out, maybe he's mad at me… If that does happen, then I would be glad that I could just run away and won't have to get dressed first.

_God, waiting for him is driving me insane. _

Suddenly I can hear him coming up the last few steps of the staircase. My whole body tenses up when he unlocks the door.

"Hey," I whisper carefully.

"Hey," he says back, but I can't pinpoint any emotion in his tone. He kicks off his shoes and throws his jacket on the wardrobe. Then he comes over to the kitchen, but he doesn't really look at me as he moves behind the counter to open the refrigerator. He pulls out a beer, opens it and lifts it to his mouth to drink more than half of it in one gulp.

"Please don't do this to me, Michael," I whisper in a pleading tone.

He hesitates for a moment, takes a long drink from the beer in his hand again before slamming it down on the surface of the counter. I wince with shock at the loud sound.

"Please don't do what?" he snaps.

I can't even speak; the words are stuck in my throat.

"I didn't do anything. But do you even realize what YOU did to ME?" he continues. "I woke up and you were gone and I didn't even know where the fuck to look for you!"

"I couldn't tell you, Michael. I knew you wouldn't let me go to him again," I whisper.

"You're damn right about that! Can you imagine how lost I felt when we were out looking for you, but had no clue where to start?" He's yelling at me. God, he's so mad at me!

"I'm sorry! But I had to go to him and I had to be alone. It would have been too dangerous for any of you."

He snarls, "But it wasn't for you?"

"I didn't say that."

He's going to the wardrobe again, getting the note I'd left him before I left his apartment a few hours earlier. He moves to stand right next to me, throws the little paper in my lap and braces his right arm on the counter. "What did Billy tell you that you kept from us?" Michael is still pissed, but at least his voice isn't so loud anymore.

I don't want to tell him, but I know that I have to. "Um... he told me that he wanted to get laid tonight and..." I can hear him taking a sharp breath, "...and he said he would go after Liz if I didn't come back later."

"Damn it," he hisses, slamming one fisted hand down on the seat of the closest barstool while driving through his hair with the other.

I can't hold back any longer. The events of this awful day and the yelling from Michael are too much for me to handle. My hands start to shake again when I put them over my face and start to sob badly.

I can feel him hesitate next to me and I wonder if I should go home to my own apartment, but then he takes a step towards me and his strong arms pull me towards his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispers into my hair.

We stay in this position for a few minutes until I'm able to calm myself down. He pulls away just enough to look down into my face. His eyes lock with mine and I can practically see the question there, which he so badly needs to be answered. "Did Billy..." he starts hoarsely, but I put my hand over his mouth before he can say even more and shake my head.

"No. I locked him in his bedroom and we were able to escape before he could touch either of us. Thank God, Kyle was suddenly right in front of us, 'cause Billy managed to get out and followed us with a gun."

I can feel Michael's muscles tense at the mention of the weapon. "I'm so scared, Michael; he knows now and he won't let me get away with this. He will come after me." I cry again.

He places his hands on each side of my head so that I have to look straight into his eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you, baby," he whispers and bends down to brush his lips against mine.

I know that he won't be able to protect me 24/7. I have to go to school, he has to work. But just for tonight I want to believe that everything will be alright.

I'm sitting on the edge of the tub dressed only in a bathing wrap and I hold my hand out under the jet of water, which is coming out of the faucet. I know it's already late and I should try to sleep, but I'm still too agitated to just go to bed. Maybe a hot bath will loosen me up and make me tired. The foam is building as more water runs into the tub and the smell of lavender fills the air. I wonder if he bought this bubble bath just for me; guys wouldn't use things like this, would they?

Michael steps into the bathroom and stands up next to me. "Did you get all the things you need to take a bath?"

"No, there is one thing missing," I tell him.

"What is it?" he asks, puzzled.

I laugh out loud 'cause he's not getting what I mean. I get to my feet and take a step forward, so that we're standing only a few inches away from each other. I reach out with my hand to drive it through his hair. "You," I whisper and study his face for any reaction.

A lightly smile appears on his lips, that makes me quiver. In slow motion, I let my hands trail over his chest to the hem of his shirt. I pull it over his head in one quick movement before my tingling fingertips roam over his now bare upper body again. I can feel his muscles tensing under my touch and his heart beats against his chest in a faster rhythm then normal. The realization that I can do this to him makes me want him even more.

I lean forward to press soft kissed at his chest, while I open his waistband. I take a little step back to look into his eyes, which are darker then usual, before I slide his pants down his legs, so he can step out of them. Inch by inch my hands drive up again, from his calves, above his thighs and along his sides until I'm standing upright again.

Finally, he seems to wake up from his stiffness and takes my chin in one hand to turn my head up to meet his gaze. His thumb is roaming over my bottom lip. "You're driving me crazy, baby, do you know that?" he whispers with a smirk.

"That's a good thing, right?" I ask back, grinning.

In response he leans down to capture my lips with his. "I guess it is," he murmurs between kisses. A quivering sigh escapes my lips when he pulls me up against his body and he stops in his movements to look at me, checking to see if everything is okay.

I lean my forehead against his and wrap my arms around his body, 'cause my legs refuse to steady me any longer. "Don't stop," I breathe.

He trails one hand through my hair. "I won't, as long as you don't ask me to."

He wants to make sure that he won't do something that I'm not ready for. But I trust him, he's not gonna hurt me intentionally. I nod slightly to show I understand the real meaning of his statement and take a step back. Our eyes lock, when I open the belt around the bathing wrap I'm wearing. I grab the collar and pull it over my shoulders; the soft fabric slides down my arms and falls to the floor.

I've never done this before – stripping down to nothing in front of a guy I mean. Of course, Billy saw me naked before, but he was the one who undressed me – always as fast as he could and never really paying attention to my body. He never looked at me the way Michael does right now. His eyes are travelling from my head to my feet in a very slow motion. It feels like he could caress me just with his look – that's sending shivers down my back. I really wish he would touch me soon.

I'm sure he can see the light blush on my face when he finally lifts his gaze up again to meet my eyes. "You're beautiful," he croaks.

I wonder if he knows that this is – by a long way – the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me for the last years. "Thank you," I whisper, feeling a single tear running down my cheek.

He reaches out to brush it away with his thumb. "Don't cry anymore."

"It was just a happy tear," I say with a smile and lay my hand over his. "Let's get in there; it's cold out here."

"Okay." He lets go of me and I step into the tub, sighing with pleasure as my body sinks into the hot water. He crouches down and steadies himself on the edge of the tub. He seems to think about something, because even if he looks at me he's kind of absent. I lay my hand over his and the contact brings him back to reality. I bend forward to press a soft kiss on his cheek, right next to his lips. My other hand is wandering down his torso until I reach his boxers. I take the waistband between two fingers and pull it a few centimetres away from his skin, just to let it flip back again. He's still hesitating, 'cause he doesn't want to rush things. Maybe he thinks that I'm not ready for this again after all that's happened in the last few weeks. But he's wrong – this has nothing to do with Billy or anything, it's just about us.

"Get rid of that. I want you to come in here, Michael!"

He nods slightly and stands up straight again to remove the rest of his clothes. I watch him when he gets into the tub as well. He's so hot, with muscles in all the right places and his complexion slightly browned. I slide backwards to one side of the tub, so he can easily sink into the water on the opposite. The foam is covering our bodies almost completely. Only our heads and shoulders can be seen. His legs are brushing against my own and his hands caress my calves. I can't imagine one thing that has felt so good recently. My head is resting against the tub and I close my eyes.

****


	30. Chapter 30

**Part 30**

We stay in this positon for a long time, just relaxing and enjoying being together. When I open my eyes again, I realize that he was staring at me the whole time. I push myself into an upright sitting postion and slip forward a few inches. "Come closer," I whisper.

He nods slightly and uses his arms at the tub edge to do so. I place my legs above his so that there won´t be any space between our bodies and then entangle them behind his back. He let his arms fall into the water again and they settle at my sides. We stare into each others eyes for several long seconds before I turn my head to find the blue sponge which I discovered earlier. I take it from the little tray next to the tub and put it into the water until it´s soaked. I let it run above his left arm up to his shoulder and back to his neck. Small streams of water are running down his upper body and I follow them wih my eyes until they finally meet the bath water again.

I stick the sponge into the water again and then raise it up over his head. He closes his eyes when I squeeze it and the liquid is running down his hair and face. I drop the sponge into the water then and place my hands on each side of his neck. Michael´s eyes are still closed, when I lean forward to kiss away a drop at the corner of his mouth. His hands grip me tighter when I don´t back away and continue to kiss him. I part my lips and a soft moan escapes my throat when he pulls me up against his body to deepen the kiss.

I´m shocked at how good and totally natural it feels to be so close to someone else, even if the rest of my life sucks right now. He ends the kiss after several long minutes and leans his forehead against mine. "You ok?" he asks breathlessly.

I run my hands through his damp hair. "Yeah, more than ok," I answer with a smirk, stealing another small kiss from his lips. He lets his hands trail up and down my back and it makes me shiver with delight.

"It feels so good to be with you, Michael."

"Really?" he asks, teasing.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, that´s good, 'cause I´m not goin' anywhere." He places a soft kiss on my cheek. "I want you to turn around," he whispers into my ear.

"Okay," I oblige without asking for the reason and turn to sit in front of him.

He rests his hands on my shoulders and pulls me closer until my back rests against his chest. I can feel his own 'excitement' pressing against my lower back and shift slightly to tease him. His arm comes around my waist to still the movement. "You don´t know what you´re doin' to me, Maria," he mumbles hoarsely.

"Oh, no, I do," I reply, smirking.

He lowers his head and places feather light kisses along my neck and shoulder. His grip around me gets tighter while he grasps the sponge in his right hand and starts to run it along my shoulders.

I lean my head back until it´s right next to his and his breath feels cold when it hit my wet skin. He lightly presses his lips against my temple as he starts to run the sponge up and down over my breasts, slightly first, but then more intense. I close my eyes and press my face against his when I lose control of my heartbeat.

He lets the sponge wander further down over my flat belly until he stops between my legs. I hold my breath when he starts to move it in small circles, adding some pressure after a while.

I whimper when he suddenly stops and removes his hand. "Michael...why did you... "

He quietens me with his passionate mouth. His tongue runs over my lips, begging for entrance and we get lost in the kiss for what seems like forever.

I inhale sharply when he replaces his hand where the sponge had been before and I lean into his touch. "Uh, Michael, this feels amazing," I breathe out. My hand roams to the back of his neck to keep him as close as possible.

"Do you trust me?" he whispers, glancing down into my eyes.

I look back at him and answer without hestistation. "I do."

He nods slightly and keeps our eyes locked while he touches me. Automatically, I close my eyes and bite my bottom lip.

"Keep lookin' at me," he requests.

"I can't."

"Just try."

I can´t stop myself from moaning. It feels so good to be touched by someone else - I've never felt anything like this before.

Michael uses his other hand to brush a strand of hair out of my face, his gaze soft and tender. I start to move my lower body more against his hand to get the release I so badly need. "Michael..."

"Just let go."

That's all that's necessary to push me over the edge. My grip around his neck gets tighter when every muscle of my body contracts. I force my eyes to stay open and don´t break contact with Michael´s. Both of his arms come around me and hold me firmly against his body until my heartbeat comes somewhere back to normal.

I smile up at him in daze. "That was amazing."

"You're amazing," he returns, placing a soft kiss against my lips. "Let´s get outta here; the water's already kinda cold." He pushes my body back into an upright sitting position and climbs out of the tub from behind me.

The small towel that he's winding around his hips can't hide his arousal. He walks over to the closet and comes back a few seconds later, spreading out a big towel in his arms. "Come here."

I push myself up, feeling that my knees are still weak, and climb out of the tub as well. Michael wraps me into the smooth fabric and starts to rub his hands over it to dry me off.

"Okay, I guess you're done."

"Then it´s my turn now," I answer, pulling the towel away from me and wrapping it around him instead. I can´t hide the grin, when I recognize the surprise in his face. "What? Did you think I would let you do that on your own?"

I reach out and place one hand on the knot of the smaller towel, which is still hanging low around his hips. He inhales sharply and holds his breath when I undo it and let it fall to the ground.

My eyes wander down his naked body. "You´re incredible sexy, Michael," I whisper and stand on my tiptoes to kiss him. It seems like he hesitates a few seconds, before he finally gives in to the temptation and wraps his arms fully around me. I loop my arms around his neck, when our kiss gets more intense. He let his hand wander down my back, before it stops right on my ass and presses me further against him. Still, his touches feel a little... uneasy.

I lean my head back until I´m able to look into his eyes. Yeah, he's still having doubts over whether or not we should take the next step. "You don´t have to hold back. I'm more than ready for this." My lips start to wander along his neck. "For you."

To emphasize, what I just said, I press my lower body against him. He growls low in his throat in response. "Lift your legs up around me," he orders gently and places one hand in the hollow of my knee to help me with it. I drop the towel when he starts to carry me out of the bathroom, his arms holding me securely against him.

The mattress sinks in when he lies me down on the bed and crawls over me, placing a path of feather light kisses along my body from my belly up to my neck. I run my fingers through his still-damp hair while he starts to wander down with his mouth again to place hot and wet kisses at my breasts. I breathe in sharply the moment he sucks one of my nipples between his lips. My upper body rises from the bed to stay as close as possible to his skin.

A small smile appears on his lips when he crawls up even more to place one arm on each side of me. He gazes down on me softly and his eyes seem to look right into my soul. "How did you manage to just walk into my life?"

I shrug, also smiling. "I didn´t do much; quite the opposite, to be honest."

He seems to think about it seriously. "Yeah, I guess that´s right."

"That´s not a bad thing, right?" I ask, unsure.

He shifts his weight to rest on his right arm, while he reaches up with his left hand to brush a strand of hair out of my face. "No, it's not. It´s just, I've never let something... someone into my life just like this. I never wanted to... until now."

"I´m glad you did," I reply honestly. "I don´t know where I would be right now without you in my life." My hands lift up to rest on each side of his face and I pull him down to kiss him.

While he starts to run his hand up and down my side the kiss gets more intense. My fingertips wander along his skin and stop on his lower back to add some pressure.

He understands my need for more body contact without a second thought and starts to lower himself down to me. With one knee, he spreads my legs further apart to settle down between them. He's pressing against my lower lips and I shift restlessly against him, seeking release.

He moves his hips lightly back and forth, teasing me, while he kisses his way down my neck to suck on my burning skin. "Michael," I breathe out on a gasp, "you have to stop that teasing."

"Why?" he asks, grinning.

I reach between us and grab his length in my hand. "'Cause it´s drivin' me crazy."

I start to touch him, slowly first, but then increasing. His muscles start to quiver lightly and he struggles for control as he lets his forehead rest against mine.

"You sure you wanna do that?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah." I reach up to caress his cheek. "Just be gentle."

He nods slightly and leans into my touch for a short time before he takes my hand to press it on the mattress next to my head and intertwines our fingers. With his other hand, he reaches down and places it in the hollow of my knee to bend my leg.

I can´t keep my eyes open the moment he finally gives in to both of our desires. It feels like there hasn't been anything better in the world than this until now. "You okay?"

"I am." How could I not be ready for this? I trust him and I know that he cares about me a lot more than Billy or my mother did.

He nods and bends down to capture my lips in a tender kiss. His mouth wanders over mine in a slow motion and his tongue runs over my upper lip until I part my lips to give him entrance.

I squeeze his hand, which is still in mine and raise my hips up against his body to show him that I'm ready for more. I know he will understand what I tell him without words once more. He always seems to know what I want and what I think. He starts to move his hips slowly first, but increasing the speed after a while.

"Michael," I moan, throwing my head back. He takes the opportunity and starts to suck the soft flesh of my neck between his lips, softly biting into it.

"Oh, God, Maria," he gasps as his body starts to tense and quiver.

I release his hand that was still in mine until now and let my arms come around his neck to hold him as close as possible. His breaths get faster with every second and I'm sure he doesn´t need much more time either.

Hit hot breath against my flushed skin is all I need to bring me over the edge again. Both of his arms came up to rest on each side of my head, his hands holding my face into place so we can look at each other until his lips crash onto mine and he moans into my mouth.

We stay in the same position for several minutes until we've both calmed down. He pulls back a little to look into my eyes, using one hand to caress my cheek. "That was amazing," I whisper.

He nods, smiling. "Yeah."

"I didn´t know it can feel like this."

"I promised you that it would be better than what you had experienced before, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember that."

He holds me tight against him when he rolls over onto his back and takes me with him. He turns his head to watch me and his features become worried suddenly. I know he's thinking about our current situation and he´s searching for some solution.

"Move in with me?"

"Huh?" I raise my head to study his face. "Are you serious?"

He nods. "I want you to be around. It´s too dangerous when you´re over there."

"But Angel searched for a roommate for so long. She can´t afford to keep the apartment on her own anymore."

"It´s dangerous for her, too. What if Billy shows up there?"

I let myself fall into the pillows again. "Yeah, I know."

"We can pay your amount of the rent to her until she finds someone else," he offered.

I nod. "Okay."

"We should get some sleep. There's enough time to worry later," he says finally and pulls me up against his body. I let my head rest on his upper body, drawing circles on his naked skin and watching his chest rise and fall until I fall into a surprisingly peaceful sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

**Part 31**

**Makin' new plans December 8th, 2007 – Saturday – 10:00 am**

I can smell freshly brewed coffee when I wake up this morning and I smile a little when I hear Michael swearing quietly about something in the kitchen. A glance at the clock tells me that it´s already after 10 am. I sit up in the bed and stretch my body. Michael hasn´t recognized yet that I'm awake, so I stand up quietly and walk over to the kitchen on my tip toes.

"Good mornin'," I murmur against his back while wrapping my arms around him from behind. He puts the plates, which he got out of the cupboard, down on the counter and turns.

"Hey,sleepyhead, you hungry?" He let his hands rest on my sides and leans back against the counter, spreading his legs and pulling me further against him. "If you´re brave enough to eat something I´ve cooked," he adds with a smirk.

"Hmm," I glance at the eggs and bacon on the range, "it doesn´t look that bad," I tease. To be honest, it looks really delicious and my mouth is already watering.

"It does, huh?" He reaches out to turn off the heat. "Okay, how about you go to the bathroom to get ready while I'm finishing this?"

"Sounds good to me, I think I'll take a quick shower."

He leans forward to place a tender kiss on my cheek and his hands wander down my hips until they reach the hem of his shirt I´m wearing. He presses me against his body; I can feel his erection grinding at my belly. "Have I told you sexy you are, when you're wearing nothing but one of my shirts?"

"You don´t have to," I say with a grin, glancing between us. "Maybe I should wait for that shower until after breakfast so you can join me?"

He sighs and let his chin rest on my shoulder. "Yeah, I wish we could do that, but Max sent me a text message earlier and asked if he and Liz can come upstairs to talk about something."

"I guess that includes talking about Billy?" Of course it will and I know we have to talk about the... situation... Is it wrong that I want to pretend a little longer to be only happy and safe?

He shrugs. "He didn´t say anything in detail, but yeah, I guess it does."

I drop my head, unable to think about anything we can do to get rid of Billy. "I wish we could just leave this all behind us," I mumble.

"Yeah," he says absent-mindedly, "maybe we can."

"Huh?" I lean back to look at him, puzzled. "What ya mean?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing. I was just thinking. Now get ready, breakfast is almost done."

I nod and let go of him to walk into the bathroom, still wondering what he has in mind. I turn the shower on while stripping out of the shirt.

Muffled sounds of talking can be heared through the closed bathroom door and I wonder if Max and Liz have already arrived.

"I thought the others had already arrived," I mention when I come back to the kitchen after showering. "I heard you talking."

"It was just the phone," he says, gesturing that I should sit down on one of the barstools.

I don´t bother to ask him, who he had called, 'cause I have the feeling he doesn´t wanna talk about it. He places a plate with toast, eggs and bacon in front of me. "Self made by Michael Guerin," he says proudly.

"It looks tasty," I admit and take my fork to try a bit of the food, chewing on it several long seconds, while he´s looking at me impatiently. "Yummy," I finally say, smiling.

"Good," he sighs, relieved, and takes a seat as well.

We concentrate on eating for a while then until Michael starts to speak again. "What ya think of leaving New York?" he asks quickly, without looking at me.

I almost choke on my breakfast. "What?"

He lays his fork down and gazes up to me. "You wanna leave New York?"

"For a trip?"

He shakes his head. "Permanently… or at least for a while."

"What about the others? Max, Liz, Kyle and the rest of them."

He shrugs. "I don´t know."

"No, Michael, I can´t expect you to leave your home and your friends behind just because of me. I don´t want you to make that sacrifice."

"That's not only your decision to make, Maria. It´s something I would do to keep you safe, to keep us safe, 'cause we´re not if we stay here. I thought about it all night and there are only two possibilities. It´s either hurt Billy until he´s not able to hurt anyone again and go to jail... or leave."

"I´m so sorry that I put you in this situation, I didn´t mean to," I say sadly, resting my head in my hands.

He slides down from his chair and comes over to me. "I knew that it would cause these problems when I got involved with you. And I didn´t care; I still don´t regret anything, so don´t feel responsible." He takes my hand in his and makes me look at him.

"What if we go and in a few months you realize that I´m not the one you want? That this thing between us is just a temporary thing?"

He doesn't get the chance to answer the question, 'cause right at that moment there's a knock on the door.

"I'll let them in," Michael says, going to open it.

I take our plates and take them to the sink, using the time to get my feelings under control again. He wants to leave with me... I can´t believe it.

"Hey," he greets Max and Liz, when they enter the apartment and walk over to have a seat on the couch. "You want something to drink? There is still coffee left from breakfast."

"No, thanks, we're fine," Liz answered, glancing at Max nervously.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, concerned when I join the others and Michael pulls me into his lap.

"There is something we wanna talk about," Max starts, taking Liz' hand in his and looking at her as if he wants to ask if she´s ready to tell us.

"Don´t drag it out, Maxwell," Michael tells him when he still hesistates.

"I´m pregnant," Liz finally admits quickly.

"What did you say?" Michael asks, startled.

"We´re having a baby," Max repeats, his expression unsure.

Silence.

"Um, well, I guess congratulations then," I offer, not knowing what else to say. This wasn´t anything I had expected and I can tell from Michael's face that he´s right with me.

"How long have you known?" he asks.

"Well, I've known it a few days now," Liz begins, "but I just told Max last night."

"Oh, my god, is everything okay with you, Liz? The whole thing with Billy..." I worry, but she interrupts me then.

"It's all okay. We were at the hospital this morning to make sure the baby is alright."

I nod, relieved that Billy didn´t leave even more damage. "So, you´re keeping the baby, right?" I want to know.

"I could never have an abortion," Liz says quickly.

"The problem is," Max speaks up again, gazing at Michael, "I can´t stand the thought of Liz being pregnant with my child and knowin' there's someone in this town who wants to get revenge." He takes a deep breath before he continues. "What I really want to say is, we – Liz and I – want to leave New York. If it was only you and me, Michael, I would say we go and get that bastard and silence him for good, but I have a girl and a child to look after now and I can´t risk goin' to jail or getting hurt."

Max glances at Michael, waiting for his opinion. I think Max is expecting that his friend will be mad at him, 'cause his expression is surprised when Michael starts to speak calmly. "You´re not the only one who is worried about someone." He lifts his gaze to look at me for a second before turning to Max again, "you´ve pretty much said what Maria and I discussed before you two came in. I was suggesting we leave as well."

"You were?" Max asks, looking back and forth between Liz and us.

"Yeah, since there is nothing we can do to get rid of Billy and his gang without going to jail or getting ourselves killed, I think leaving is the only option we have right now. The sooner, the better."

"It will be difficult to start a new life in another town with no job, not much money and no place to live," Max pointed out.

"Yeah, I saved some money, but it won´t last long," Michael says. "I guess we have to spend a few weeks in a motel until we can find jobs and can rent our own apartments. I called my boss earlier, 'cause he has some good connections to an autoshop in Atlanta. Maybe he´s able to get me a job over there."

"Atlanta?" Liz asks.

So that was the person, Michael was talkin' to earlier.

Michael shrugs. "Yeah. As a possibility."

"I like it," she said, a grin spreading over her whole face.

"Yeah," I say quietly and lower my head to look at my boyfriend, "I like it, too."

He nods silently and brushes his lips against mine for a brief second. "You can also finish school over there."

"You think that can work?" Max asks when he and Liz stand up and get ready to leave again.

"I don´t know yet."

"Okay, we're gonna leave for now, Liz needs some rest. I called Kyle and the others to come over around 3 pm to talk," he sighs. "You coming downstairs?"

"Yeah."

We both watch them disappear through the front door before I turn in Michael´s lap to come face to face with him. "You sure you wanna do that?" I let my forehead rest against his.

"Yeah," he takes my face in both hands, "I can hardly believe it by myself but I am. I don´t wanna run off from Billy, but I don´t wanna lose you as well."

"You´ll never lose me if you're gonna keep being like this," I reply and capture his lips with mine for a quick kiss. "What about the others?"

He winces. "I'm not sure how they're gonna react," he admits, "but they'll have to make their choice if they wanna come with us or not."

****


	32. Chapter 32

**Part 32**

Lonnie is the last one to join us in Max's apartment this afternoon. She rolls her eyes when she notices me, making it a point to let everyone know that she doesn't approve of me being a part of her gang.

"So, why are we here again?" she asks, glancing at her watch as if she's already been waiting for hours now.

"To discuss what we´re gonna do now," Max answers, taking the seat next to Liz and taking her hand automatically.

"Well, that´s easy. Just hand her over to Billy again," she snarls.

"Shut up, Lonnie," Michael counters without even looking at her. He leans back and lifts one arm on top of the headrest so that his hand is touching my shoulder.

"We´re not doin' this," Max says clearly. "She saved Liz and she´s one of us now."

"If she wasn't, they never would have kidnapped Liz," Lonnie keeps arguing.

"You had the idea to kidnap Maria in the first place," Kyle throws in ironically.

"Oh, please," Lonnie sighs heavily, "I couldn't know that Guerin would fall for her."

"Billy was a bastard a long time before things started with Maria," Michael defends himself and I like it. He didn´t negate his feelings for me, that´s good, right?

"I´m not denying that, but he didn´t hold a gun up to us then. I didn´t have to worry about getting shot when I was walking outside."

"You think Billy would shoot one of us in public?" Alex asks worried.

"I have no doubt that he would have used his gun against one of the girls last night if he'd had the chance," Kyle admits. "Damn, there's a bullet hole in my car."

"That´s just great," Lonnie growls. "Why don´t we just go after him at night?"

"And then what?" Michael snaps. "Kill him?"

She shrugs. "If it´s necessary."

"That´s ridiculous," Max finally says, "we´re not killing him. Or is there anyone here who wants to go to jail willingly and live the rest of your life with the knowledge that you killed somebody?" He looks around the room in question and nods, satisfied when everyone stays silent. "Michael and me discussed another option earlier," he begins and I hold my breath, 'cause I know what will come next.

"That would be?" Kyle asks, interested.

"Leaving New York." Michael is the one who says it out loud in front of the rest.

Lonnie laughs, the sound overacted. "Sorry, I must have misunderstood you; it sounded like you were suggesting we leave." She looks at Max' and Michael's serious faces. "Oh, my God, you really said it!"

"Where do you want to go?" Kyle asks doubtfully.

"We haven´t decided yet. Maybe Atlanta, maybe somewhere else," Michael answers.

"You want to run away from Billy?" Lonnie almost screams. "What's wrong with you guys? I don't know you anymore. Where are the Max and Michael I've known since childhood?"

"We're still here, Lonnie," Max says.

She shakes her head wildly. "No, you're not. The men I knew wouldn´t run away from Billy."

"It´s different now," Max explains calmly, "we haven't had any responsibility before. But now..." he takes a deep breath, "Liz is pregnant" – some shocked murmurs go through the room – "and Maria is the first one who will be hunted by Billy. We can´t take the risk of stayin' 'cause we all know that Billy won´t leave us alone."

"You're pregnant?" Alex asks, surprised as he rushes to Liz' side and hugs her.

"So, you've already made your decision. You´re gonna leave us alone with him here," Lonnie states.

"Bullshit!" Michael reacts immediately. "We're askin' all of you to come with us."

"Pfff. No, thank you!" She stands up and walks to the door.

"Lonnie..." Max starts.

"Don´t, Max. Go on and leave. Whatever. I'm staying." With that she´s out.

Kyle looks at the now closed door with lifted eyebrows. "Well, that was to be expected. She'll calm down."

"What about you?" Max asks.

Kyle shrugs. "I understand your motives for leaving, but I´m not sure if I´m coming with you. I´ll let you know."

Max nods. "Alex?"

"I'm goin' wherever Liz is goin'."

"When do you want to leave?" Kyle asks.

"We don´t know yet," Michael says. "I might have a chance to get a job in Atlanta, so we have to arrange some stuff. We need a place to stay, Max needs a job, Maria needs to finish school somewhere. We have to think about the details now."

Max nodds. "I´m gonna ask my company, too, if there is any chance of getting a job near Atlanta."

Kyle nods absent-mindedly. "What about the time between now and leaving? I mean, will Liz go to work? Will Maria go to school? We have to think about these things, too."

Michael looks down at me for several long seconds. "There is no way you can protect her continuously in school, is there?" he asks Kyle without looking away from me

Kyle sighs. "I don't think so. We have different classes and the school is big. It would be too easy for Billy to get in unseen."

Michael nods. "We can't risk anything happening to her." He lifts my chin with his fingers. "You okay with staying in my apartment until we leave?"

"I don´t really have another choice, do I?" I ask, smiling weakly.

"Liz already quit her job this morning. She´s staying home as well," Max says.

"What about my job?" I ask, remembering my recent promotion. "We're gonna need some money, Michael."

He nods. "I´m gonna talk to Kate later. Maybe you can get the late shifts now and then. I can drive you there and pick you up later again."

Liz bends forward to look at me. "Seems like we'll be spending a lot of time together during the day now."

****

**Girl's day December 10th, 2007 – Monday – 10:00 am**

A soft knock on the door wakes me up from my daze. I didn't sleep very well last night, so I´m still lying in bed, even if it´s already 10 am on Monday morning. I don't care, 'cause I can´t go to school, so what else should I be doing?

I stand up slowly, stretch my body and walk to the front door, dressed in a pair of Michael's boxers and one of his t-shirts. "Hey, Liz," I greet the girl in the hallway.

"Hey, uhm, did I wake you up?"

"No, it´s okay. I'm just lying around 'cause I´ve got nothing better to do anyway."

"Yeah, same for me. I´m not used to being alone and entertaining myself so I was hoping we could spend some time together."

"Yeah, that would be cool. Come in, I´m gonna make breakfast if there is anything edible in the refrigerator. I've to write a grocery list for Michael."

"Do you have morning sickness as much as other pregnant woman do?" I ask, chewing on my cereals.

She sticks a big spoon of it in her mouth as well. "No, not yet anyway."

"Uh-huh," I say, watching her eating a mountain of cereals. "You're hungry, huh?" I ask with a smirk.

She smirks back. "Yeah. Since I found out that I'm pregnant I could eat all day long. Guess that won't be too good, if I don´t want to buy new clothes every month."

"Had you guys planned this?" I gesture to her belly.

She shakes her head. "No, it just happened. Maybe my pill wasn't working correctly with all the excitement going on lately." She shrugs. "But I´m okay with it and Max is, too."

I nod. "Yeah, I saw that, you know. Besides all the worry about Billy you could see his excitement about it."

"Yeah, he reacted really great. We talked about having kids, but neither of us thought that it would be so soon."

"You two will make really good parents."

She grins. "Thanks. We just have to hope now that we'll find a new place to stay. A safe place."

"Yeah." I look up at her. "Liz, I'm really sorry that you guys have to leave because of me."

Liz lays her spoon on the table and grabs my hand. "You don´t have to be sorry about anything, Maria. I´m glad that you're here, 'cause I really needed another girl between all these guys. And Lonnie..." she rolls her eyes, "you met her, she´s not really a girl."

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean."

"Besides that, I never saw Michael this happy. He didn´t share feelings with anybody or care about somebody before you came into the picture. And to be honest, I´m still surprised that he suggested we leave as well. He would have never have done such a thing before he met you. You've changed him a lot."

"He´s all I have right now," I admit, "I don´t know where I would be now, if he hadn´t been there."

"You don´t have just him now, Maria. Max and me are your friends, too. And we're gonna find a nice town, where we can live together and start new. I'm sure about it."

"You're not sad that you have to leave New York?"

Liz seems to think about it a few seconds. "No, not at all. My parents moved to California a few years ago and we haven't talked since then. I don´t have any close friends besides you guys. So… no, the people I love will come with me, so there's no reason to miss New York. If anything, I can't wait to have nice long walks outside wihout the need to worry about an enemy showing up. I want to go shopping and to a park carefree."

"Yeah, that would be really cool. I´m sick of all the hiding, too. Will you miss Lonnie and Kyle, if they stay here?"

"As for Lonnie… No, not really. I never had any real conversations with her. She was just there, you know? And Kyle, well, yeah, I think I will miss him a little. I know he's done cruel things to you, Maria, and there is no excuse for that, but he also saved us the other night."

"Yeah," I answer thoughtfully, "I was really scared of him in the beginning, for obvious reasons, but the night when he drove us away from Billy´s apartment something kinda changed."

"He's very loyal. He hated you when you where a Hurricane, but he also protects you with his life when you're one of us..." She rolls her eyes, "you know, I can´t wait for all of this gang shit to end. Once we're out of town, we´re no longer the Bandits, we´re just some friends living together."

"Sounds nice to me."


	33. Chapter 33

**Part 33**

**Movin' day December 12th, 2007 – Wednesday – 6:00 pm**

Michael just dropped me off in front of the building where Angel and I are living. He's going to pick me up later again.

I climb up the stairs with a guilty feeling, 'cause I´m goin' to leave Angel and she'll have to find another roomate again. I already called her on Monday and told her that I´m moving out – she wasn´t too happy about it as you can imagine.

When I enter the living room she is already there, doing some homework. "Hey," I greet her quielty.

She writes something on a paper for a few seconds longer before she looks up at me. "Hey," she replies, and I'm glad to see a soft smile on her lips.

I take my jacket off and walk over to join her on the couch. "I think I owe you an explanation," I start.

Angel shakes her head. "No, you don't, girl. I know you have a lot of goin' on in your life and I kinda expected that you wouldn't stay long. To be honest, I was sure he would've asked you sooner to stay with him, Maria."

"You were?" I ask, surprised.

"Uh-huh. The way he looks at you and treats you... I don´t know," she shrugs, "I just knew it."

"We've had some trouble with Billy lately," I admit. "Big trouble! And it's too dangerous to live here. For you and me. I don't want you to get hurt because I'm stayin' here."

Angel looks at me thoughtfully. "Something bad must have happened, huh?"

I nod. "Yeah. Billy kidnapped Liz, um, Max's girlfriend, and I got her outta there..."

"And now Billy knows that you're staying with Michael," Angel completes the sentence.

"Yeah, something like that and then he went after me and Liz with a gun."

"Oh," is all she says.

"We're gonna leave New York as soon as possible."

"Where're you gonna go?" she wants to know.

"We're not exactly sure about that one. But chances are good that it will be Atlanta. Michael might get a job down there."

"I know we haven't spent much time together, but I´m gonna miss you," Angel says.

I nod, "Yeah, I´m gonna miss you, too," I admit sadly. "I wish we didn't have to leave, but it´s the only possibility right now."

"You're gonna call me now and then, right?"

"Of course I will. Oh, and I´m gonna pay for the rent until you find someone new, okay?"

Angel shakes her head. "Oh no, that's not necessary. You know, a few days after you moved in another person called who was interested in livin' here. I called him when you told me you were movin' out the other day and he was here this morning and decided to move in."

"Really? Wow, that's cool!"

"Uh-huh, and he's kinda cute, you know?"

"Okay, tell me every small detail."

Angel helped me to get my few things together and packed them into some cartons. I still can´t believe that I have to move out again so quickly, but Michael is right here. It would be too dangerous to stay here with her. I could never forgive myself if she got hurt because of me and my pathetic life.

A soft knock on the door announces Michael´s arrival and I walk over to open the door. "Hey, we´re almost done," I greet him and stand up on my tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.

"Okay, the car is parked in front if the building; we should hurry 'cause I'm not allowed to leave it there." He walks through the door. "Hey, Angel."

"Hey, Michael!"

He grans the biggest carton and starts to go downstairs again. "Okay, I´d better help him," I say and take one as well.

"I´m getting your things in the bathroom together," Angel says.

I walk down the stairs and Michael helps me to put my stuff into his trunk. "Let me carry all the heavy things, you don´t have to do that," he says when we walk upstairs again to get more of my stuff.

"But you said we need to hurry, so I´m gonna help you as good as I can."

We enter the flat again and look around in the living room for more stuff. "I´m gonna see how far Angel got in the bathroom," I tell him, while he decides which things to carry next.

"Hey, you need any help in here?" I ask the other girl. She's kneeling on the floor and looking through the cabinet with the towels. "I´m just checking which of these are yours."

"Okay." I walk over to the shower to get my shampoo and shower gel out of it.

"Freeze, Guerin," I hear someone say out in the living room.

"Who is out...?" I turn to Angel and choke on the last words when realization hits me hard. My eyes widen with horror - I know that voice! I would be able to identify it among thousands.

"Oh, my god." I rush to the other girl´s side, putting my hand over her mouth before she can say anything. "It´s Billy in the living room," I whisper in panic.

Angel looks at me, shocked. "Be quiet, okay?" She nods and I pull my hand away from her. We both sit on the floor without a single sound or even a breath while straining to hear something.

"Where is she?" Billy growls.

"None of your damn business," Michael answers.

"None of my... none of my business?" Billy screams at him and I can hear something break. A vase or something. "I'm gonna kill you, you little bastard and then I´m gonna kill her."

Suddenly there's another sound, which gets my attention. My blood freezes at the sound. It was the 'click' a gun would make when you release the safety catch. I know I have to do something. And I have to do it quickly.

"Okay," I whisper into Angel's ear. "I´m gonna go outside."

She shakes her head wildly. "No, we should call the police."

"You got a phone here?"

Angel shakes her head. "No, damn it, it's in my room.

I sigh. "And mine is in my jacket next to the door. Damn it. Okay, listen! He knows that I´m here anyway," I explain with a shaking voice. "He will kill him," I say, and tears are welling up my eyes, "I can´t let that happen. I´m gonna close the bathroom door behind me and you're gonna quietly lock it from inside, do you hear me?"

Angel just nods quietly, her face showing all her fear. "I don´t think he knows that anyone else is here, but just in case. He won´t come through this door, it´s massive." I take her head between my hands. "Don't come out whatever happens, okay? Not as long as he is here. Promise me that."

"Okay," the other girl replies, scared.

"Okay." I hug her for a second and then get up on my feet. I can't think of another situation before now where I felt as much fear as I feel right now. But I know I have to be strong right now. For Angel and for Michael.

"You're not gonna intimidate me with a gun, loser." I hear Michael say. I wish he wouldn't be so brave right now. He's only pushing Billy.

I step out of the bathroom and close the door behind me. A soft sound lets me know that Angel locked the door and I´m sure that Billy hasn´t heard it, because he hasn´t realized I'm here yet. I have to get him away from Michael, that´s all that matters to me. "I´m here, Billy," I call from the other end of the room.

Both men glance at me quickly, but Billy still focuses on Michael, who is standing only a few feet away from him. Damn it.

"Maria, what the hell you think you´re doin`?" Michael screams at me.

Billy chuckles. "Looks like she can´t really let go of me, huh? Maybe you're not as good in bed as I am?"

"Shut the fuck up." Michael takes a step towards him and Billy aims the gun up at Michael's head. "One more step and you're dead, Guerin." He starts to move in my direction, still holding the gun up to him. "Come over here, bitch."

I walk over to him slowly and try to keep my panic under control. I don´t want to go anywhere with him, but if it's gonna save Michael, I´m gonna do it. He grabs my wrist painfully. "We're goin' to my car now," Billy orders. "Tell him to stay here."

I bite my lip and look at Michael desperately. He has his fists clenched at his sides and it seems like he´s just about to run towards Billy.

"Tell him," Billy repeats, louder now and yanks my arm harshly.

"Do what he's asking for," I say to Michael quietly – I don't want him to, but I also hope he´s gonna go through with it. "Let me get my jacket." Maybe I can call for help later with the cell.

Billy drops my arm and looks at me angrily. "I don't give a damn if you´re gonna freeze to death."

Michael seems to notice Billy´s lessening focus on him in that second, 'cause suddenly he storms toward us and drags Billy to the ground with him. He places a hard punch on his arm, so that Billy drops the gun. I react quickly and run over to the other side to grab the gun.

Suddenly I can hear Michael scream up in pain and I turn around quickly to see what had happened. Blood is quickly seeping through in two places on his white tee shirt. "What…?" I glance over to Billy and recognize the knife in his hand.

"You bastard!" I shout at him. In the corner of my eyes I can see Michael holding his hand over the wounds, but the blood is still running out between his fingers. Billy gets to his feet again and starts to walk in my direction.

"Don´t move or I swear I´m gonna kill you."

Billy just chuckles and continues to come towards me. I´ve never used a gun before. I don´t want to, but what other chance do I have? He seems to be sure I won´t shoot at him and Michael needs help as soon as possible. I glance at him on the ground again. He´s panting from the pain and every effort he makes to get up fails.

Okay, I tell myself, you can do this. You HAVE to do this. I raise the gun up and aim at Billy's chest. It seems like everything around me happens in slow motion. I can´t hear anything as I close my eyes and pull the trigger.

The anticipated sound of a fired doesn't come and I rip my eyes open to see Billy still standing in front of me, grinning. In panic, I pull the trigger again, but nothing...

"Not loaded," Billy chants.

"What?" I glance on the gun and in the next moment Billy drags me to the ground brutally. He settles over my stomach, his knees pinning my arms to the ground. He picks up the gun from the ground and fumbles around in his jacket. My heart starts to pound as I watch him finally loading the gun.

"That was the last time you ever betray me! You´re a fuckin' wore – and you know what I do with them?" He forces me to look in Michael's direction. He´s lying on the ground, his face turned to us, but he seems far away with his thoughts. I know he´s about to lose conciousness.

"No, Michael," I reach out, but I´m too far away to touch him.

"I would love to watch him bleed to death, you know, just to make sure he will be really dead this time, but I think we gotta go. Nobody will find him here soon enough anyway."

He stands up again and drags me with him. "Downstairs now," he orders and levels the weapon at me. I glance at Michael and it seems like he doesn´t even know what's going on around him anymore.  
>"No!" I manage to get rid of Billy and stumble in Michael's direction, dropping to my knees in front of him. "Don´t leave me alone," I whisper, caressing his cheek. He glances up at me weakly. His lips move slowly, but no sound is escaping his throat.<p>

"Okay, that´s enough," I hear Billy say behind me and turn to look at him just at the moment when he lunges out and hits my head with the barrel of the gun.

I tumble backwards and black out on the floor next to Michael.

****


	34. Chapter 34

**Part 34**

**Kidnapped December 13th, 2007 – Thursday – ? am**

My head hurts badly when I wake up again and I have to pull all my strength together to not just remain lying down and go back to sleep. The memories of what happened come creeping back to me slowly and my heart clenches painfully when a flash of Michael lying on the floor bleeding hits me. Was Angel able to help him? Or did Billy make sure that he was dead before leaving? "No," I whisper to myself, "you can't be dead, Michael."

I force myself to open my eyes, but it stays as dark as before. I blink several times, but see nothing except more darkness. I try to use my hands to push myself up from the ground and find them chained to something. My fingers feel out for anything that might give me a hint about what happened and where I am. There is a thick iron pipe in the wall that I am chained to. No chance of escape. "Damn it."

I use my feet to get myself into a sitting position as good as possible and lean my back against the wall. Dizziness sweeps over me when I move and I have to take some deep breaths to not just black out again. What time would it be? How long was I out? I glance around the darkness again, there has to be something. Only now, I recognize that it's freezing cold in here and my whole body feels stiff and worn out.

Where the hell am I? It´s not Billy´s apartment, I would recognize it. He has carpet all over in the rooms. I´m sitting on something that feels like cold stones or concrete. Suddenly there is loud noise outside the room. It´s getting louder and louder with each passing second... I know this sound, but from where? I close my eyes and try to concentrate on it. "The subway," I whisper and then panic. Oh my God, he locked me in an underground room! Will he come back or just leave me to starve to death? Nobody will find me here! The sound is over once the subway has passed by. It didn´t stop, that means I´m not near any station. I'm probably in a service room somewhere in the tunnels that have thick steal doors. I know that nobody will hear my screams, but right now I don´t care. "HELP! OH MY GOD! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

I´m hyperventilating with the realization that no one is going to save me. Michael is hurt, maybe even dead. No, I can´t think of that. I'm not ready to deal with it. The only person who knows that I was kidnapped is Angel. But how is she going to find me? She could go to the police, but she hadn´t even seen Billy once. And even if just the mention of the name Billy is probably enough for them to know who she means... he won't just tell him where I am. "I´ll die here." Tears of fear run down my cheek, there is no need to hold them back.

I don´t know how long I've been sitting here in the right now. Seems like hours, but I really don´t have a clue what time it is right now. It took me a while to calm down, to stop screaming and crying. Right now, I don't feel anything and I drift off to sleep every now and then. Some subways had passed by outside, but that's all.

My head snaps up from another doze when I hear a new sound. Different from the one made when a subway passes by. Maybe there is someone outside? Maybe an employee who checks the route, they do something like this, right?

"HALLO? CAN SOMEBODY HEAR ME? HALLOOOOO!" I scream out as loud as possible.

Suddenly I can hear the door being opened. A flashlight is scanning the room and I squeeze my eyes shut and bend down to hold my chained hands up to my face when it's blinding light hits my face. Somebody is here, I think relieved.

A light is switched on, but I still can´t anything. My eyes have to get used to the brightess after hours of sitting in the dark. The person is coming nearer and crouches down in front of me. I lift my head up again and blink several times.

"Look who finally woke up," the man says right at the moment when my sight becomes clearer and my hope of being rescued shatters into a thousand pieces. Billy.

"You can scream and shout as much as you want, bitch! No one is gonna hear you down here."

"What do you want, you wretched sonofabitch? Sorry, I´m not already dead," I snap at him to downplay my fear.

He lunges out and slaps me across the face so hard that my head flies to the other side, but I don´t cry out. I won´t give him the satisfaction. He takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger roughly and forces me to look at him. "Who says I want you to be dead so soon? You deserve to suffer, you little slut. I had no time to do that to your fuckin` dead lover, but it will be my pleasure to torture you."

I avoid looking him in the eyes. He said Michael is dead. Did he make sure of it or does he just think he is? I don´t ask him. The only thing that keeps me alive right now is the hope that Michael isn´t dead. "Go to hell," I growl at him.

Another hit across my face and I slump back against the wall. I try to not black out, but the room around me is moving wildly and I groan from the pain. "Here," he throws something in my lap, then stands up and walks back to the door. He glances back at me for a second and a moment later the room is dark again and I´m left all alone once more.

It takes me a long time to pull myself together. The dizziness is still there, but it´s fading slowly. I feel around my lap until my hands grip what Billy had thrown into my lap before he left. It's a bottle with some liquid in it. I open the top and hold it to my nose to smell it. Nothing. Maybe it's just water. But what if he mixed something in it? Some drugs, sedatives, or whatever. No, I´m not gonna drink this.

From far away, I can hear a sound, but I´m to weak to move or open my eyes. My body is acing badly, I can´t stand another hard punch from Billy.

"Maria? Oh, my God!" Someone rushes to my side and takes my face in his hands. "Maria, can you hear me? Wake up." It's a male voice, but my brain isn´t working very well and I can´t say if I know this voice. "Open your eyes, Maria."

I try to do what I was asked for, but the light is too bright, I can´t recognize anything first. Only after a few more times of opening and closing my eyes am I able to see the shape of someone bent over me. And with another blink my view gets even clearer. "Kyle?" I croak out, my throat feels like a grater. This has to be a dream, I think.

"Yeah," He lifts me up a little and leans my back against the wall.

"What are you doin' here?" My brain still has a hard time grasping the whole situation.

He fumbles around in the backpack he's wearing and gets out a bottle of whatever drink it is. "Here, you have to drink something." He opens the bottle and holds it out to me.

I nod and try to grab it, but it´s too heavy to hold it on my own. He helps me with it and lifts it to my mouth, so that I can take some sips of the liquid. Slowly but surely my thoughts become clearer.

"He hit you hard," Kyle winces, studying my face intently.

"How did you find me?"

"I followed him the last two days and I figured it out."

I frown at him. "But, Billy hasn't been here for a long time."

"He was on his way, but then got a call and turned back. It took me some time to find this room."

"Oh, my God, I´m so glad to see you," I sob when I suddenly realize that someone really had found me. He pulls me into his arms for several seconds and I close my eyes again to let the relief wash over me. Who would have thought that – of all things – Kyle would save my life one day.

Suddenly I remember all the other past things and my head snaps up to look at him. "Where is Michael?" My voice trembles when I ask the question which might turn my life upside down again.

He sighs. "He's not doin' so good, Maria. Your roommate, Angel, found him, applied first aid and called an ambulance, but he had lost so much blood. He's in the hospital and in coma. The doctor´s say we just have to wait and hope that he will wake up again."

"It's all my fault," I cry.

"No, it's not." He looks around the room and at my chained hands. "Okay, listen, I have to get something that I can use to get you outta here. I´ll be back soon, okay?"

"No, don´t leave me here alone, Kyle."

Out of the corner of my eyes I notice another movement. "Don´t worry, Maria, he won´t."

"KYLE, WATCH OUT!" I scream, but in the next moment Billy hits him hard on the head with the flashlight and Kyle sinks down to the ground next to my feet.

"No," I cry out.

Billy just chuckles. "Valenti, Valenti, how stupid of you to just come here." He bends down to pull Kyle´s motionless body to the wall next to me. "Nobody is gonna rescue you two," Billy singsongs, while chaining the other man to the pipe as well.

"Oh, God, my head is gonna explode," I can hear Kyle moan next to me.

"Kyle? Thank God, you´re finally awake."

He groans in response. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"I don't know. Several hours I guess."

"Are you okay?" he wants to know.

"Yeah, I'm just so cold."

I can hear Kyle moving on the floor, but it´s too dark to see anything. "Sorry, I would offer you my jaket, but these damn chains won´t allow it.

"It's okay. You want some water?"

"He left it here?"

"No, but he gave me another bottle before. I think it´s really just water, I drank it, 'cause I was so thirsty and I´m still alive, so..."

"No, thanks, we probably should be spare with it."

"Yeah...um, does anyone know that you came here?" I want to know. He surely told somebody before he got here, right?

"No," he groans, "I tried to call Max before I went down into the subway tunnels, but he was probably at the hospital, 'cause his cell was turned out. He just knows that I was looking around for you, but not where."

I let my head rest against the wall and all the hope I had built up the last few hours fades away again. "Damn it."

He coughs several times. "Maybe the police will find us soner or later. Angel told me that she has to go there to answer some questions, when I met her in the hospital."

"The police," I whisper, "how long until they find us? Whatcha think?"

Kyle snorted. "With all the shit going on in New York... we'll be lucky if they've even started to look for us."

_Later... at some time or another..._

"Kyle? Are you awake?" I groan.

"Yeah," he replies weakly.

"You think we could drink another sip of the water? I'm so thirsty."

"Okay," he moves around on the ground, "but only a little bit."

We both take a sip of the water before he closes the bottle carefully again.

"Shh, did you hear that?" I ask.

"What?"

"Shh, someone is coming."

"You won't believe what you're gonnal see," someone who could only be Billy says, amused when he opens the door and turns on the light.

"What can be so exciting down here?" Another male person asks.

"See for yourself."

"Maria?" Someone asks, half surprised, half shocked.

My eyes still hurt from the light again, but I don´t have to see anything to recognize this voice, even if my brain is only working on autopilot. Sean.

"Great, another fuckin' bastard," Kyle mutters and gets kicked by Billy for that.

"What are you doin' with them here?" Sean asks Billy. So Billy didn´t even tell the others about our kidnapping.

"What I am doin'?" Billy asks agitated. "Punishing her; she betrayed me, all of us. Sean. She fucked around with a damn Bandit."

Sean lifts his hands to calm him down. "Hey, I was just asking, no offense. And what's with him?" He gestures to Kyle.

"He discovered her here, so I had to chain him as well."

"Surprised what a little coward bastard your leader is?" Kyle hisses.

"Shut up, Valenti, if you don´t want to be knocked out again."

I stay silent, ´cause I´m not quite sure what he really thinks. I´m his family, but Billy is his best friend.

"Alright, let´s go," Billy says, leading Sean back to the door again. My cousin glances back at me and I can see the consternation in his face before the light is turned off again.

****


	35. Chapter 35

**Part 35**

**Salvation December 16th, 2007 – Sunday – 3 pm**

"Kyle?" I croak weakly.

"Yeah," he answers, sounding just as weak as me.

"I'm so cold," I moan and I pull my knees to my body, but it doesn't change anything. My muscles are acing badly and my wrists are sore from the chains. I can't pull my arms arond myself and it's driving me insane.

"We can try to slide closer together to warm each other up," he suggests and starts to move on the ground.

"Okay." I try to slide closer to him as well until we lean against the wall next to each other and I let my head rest on his shoulder. "How long have we been here now?" I wonder aloud.

"I'm not sure. It's maybe Sunday or Monday, I don't know." He reaches out and searches for my hands in the darkness, grabs them in between his own and rubs them softly. "Any better now?"

"Yeah, thanks." I try to push the thoughts about my thirst and hunger back. "I´m glad that I´m not alone, but I´m sorry that you're trapped here because of me."

"Don't be. It's probably what I deserve," he says thoughtfully. "Listen, Maria, I know there is no excuse for what I did to you when we kidnapped you. But I want you to know that I'm sorry. I... I didn´t really want to rape you, I just wanted to scare you off."

I don´t know what to say to this. On the one hand, it makes me happy that he's apologizing for this, on the other hand I don´t want to think back to that. "It seems to me like that was years ago now."

"Yeah, it kinda got all out of control from then on."

"God, Kyle, I hope Michael will be okay. I can't live with the thought that he was killed because of me."

"He's strong. If anyone can pull through this, then it's him."

"We have to get out of here, Kyle. We don´t have any water left."

"I know," he groans. "But as long as we can't get rid of these damn chains, there's nothing we can do."

Hours have passed again and we´ve stayed silent to save our strength. But right now, there isn't much strength left in me. My throat and mouth are dry like the desert and I´m drifting in and out of sleep. Kyle is lying right next to me. I can feel him breathing, but there is no body warmth left.

From far away I can hear a sound, but I`m to weak to concentrate on it. Maybe it's just another subway. Something flickers in front of my eyes and I try to pull myself together to see what is going on now, but it´s hard to ignore the growing dizziness.

"Hey, you little pussies, you're still alive." Even if the voice sounds muffled in my ears, I know who is speaking to us.

"Sorry to disappoint you," I hear Kyle snarl.

"Oh, I´m not disappointed. I'm glad that you're suffering." Billy laughs at us.

"Oh God," I moan when I try to sit up straight. The room is moving wildly, my eyes can´t focus on anything.

"DeLuca," Billy crouches down and holds my head in place to stare at me, "hm, seems like you won´t make it very much longer."

"Leave her alone," Kyle growls and kicks Billy away from me with one hard kick. I wonder where he found the strength.

Billy flies to the ground and screams out in pain. "You little bastard! You'll regret that."

He's up on his feet again in no time and he grabs a thin iron pipe which is leaning against the wall on the opposite side of us.

"Freeze," another man, who is suddenly standing in the door, screams.

I lean to one side to get a better look and have to close my eyes a few seconds to get the dizziness under control again. I recognize a police officer over there and he´s holding a gun up to Billy. "Drop the pipe."

Billy turns around slowly, but he still holds the pipe in his hands.

"I said, drop it," the other man demands.

"Okay, okay," he bends down in slow motion and lays the iron pipe on the floor. I hold my breath, while I´m watching what happens in front of my eyes. I can´t believe what is going on right now.

Billy starts to stand up straight, but I can see that his right hand is wandering upwards behind his back. I follow his movement with my eyes and almost scream in surprise when I notice the gun, which is tucked in between his waistband and back.

"Watch out, he has a gun," I croak out as loud as my dry throat would allow, just at the time when Billy reaches it with his hand and pulls it out of his waistband to hold it up to the police officer.

Thank God, the other man has very good reaction time and knows how to handle his own gun. Within seconds a shot is fired and suddenly Billy cries out in pain, his weapon flying onto the ground and the police officer is rushing to his side to kick the gun out of Billy´s reach.

Then he slams Billy against the wall and I realize that the bullet must have hit him in his shoulder. "Looks like we finally have a reason to lock your little ass up for the rest of your life, Darden." He pulls Billy´s arms behind his back and slaps the cuffs on his wrists.

"I´ll be out in no time," my ex hisses.

The officer snarls, "I wouldn't count on that. Kidnapping, grievous bodily harm, attempted murder... a lot previous convictions... attempted murder of an officer of the law… should I go on?"

I look at Kyle in a daze and suddenly the realization that we´ve just been saved hits me and I lean my head against his shoulders. "I can´t believe someone found us," I cry out.

Just now I realize that another officer is in the door. He comes over to us and after a moment we are no longer chained to the pipe in the wall. "Are you okay? We´ve already called the ambulance; they'll bring you to the hospital. We need your statement as soon as possible, but first you´ll have some time to rest."

"How did you find us?" Kyle wants to know. He winces when he tries to get to his feet and decides to sit down again.

"Someone from his gang came to us and gave us a hint about where he was hiding you."

"Sean?" I ask, surprised.

The officer nods. "Yeah, I think his name was Sean DeLuca."

I smile softly. "Thank you, Sean." I whisper to myself.

"What about Michael? Michael Guerin?" I ask, scared to hear something I don´t want to hear.

"That´s the man he stabbed?" the officer asks.

"Yeah."

"Can´t tell you about that. Last I heard he was still in a coma."

I nod sadly. "Okay."

"Alright, let´s go," the other man says, shoving Billy in the direction of the exit. "Enjoy the daylight up there, Darden. It´s probably the last you'll see of it for a long time."

Billy just grins smugly and turns in my direction. "Someday, I´ll come after you again, bitch."

"Don´t worry, he won´t bother you again," the officer next to me says. "You think you can walk?" He glances at me and Kyle.

We both nod and lift ourselves up into a standing position. The room suddenly begins to move again and I have to reach out for the wall to keep myself from falling. "I feel dizzy," I mumble and then I´m not sure if I even said it. Everything in front of me goes black, I can feel sombody catch me before I fall to the ground again - and then I'm blacking out.

_In the hospital:_

I blink several times when I wake up again and I really don´t know where I am. "Maria?" A female voice is calling my name and I turn my head slightly to look around. I recognize Liz standing right next to the bed I´m lying in.

"Liz..." I whisper and frown, "where am I?"

She takes my hand in hers and sits down on the egde of the bed. "You're in the hospital, sweetie. Do you remember what happened?"

I nod weakly when the memories of the dark and cold room come back to me slowly. Max approaches us as well. "Hey, Maria," he tries to force a smile on his face, but it doesn't show up very well.

Michael is all I´m thinkin' right now, but a doctor joins us in the room before I can ask the important question.

"Ms. DeLuca, I´m your attending physician and my name is Gellar. How do you feel?"

"Like something really heavy ran over me over and over again," I reply honestly.

He chuckled. "Yeah, that's normal. You were heavily dehydrated and malnourished. It will take a few days to recover from that." He sighs. "You and the young man, who was with, you were very lucky. You probably wouldn´t have survived another whole night out there."

"Is Kyle okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Liz answers.

I nod and bite my bottom lip. "What about Michael?" I whisper, afraid.

Max and the doctor exchange serious glances, which makes me even more nervous. "Mr. Guerin was stabbed very badly, Ms. DeLuca. We had to operate him for several hours and did all what was possible. He´s still in a coma and we can only wait and see if he is strong enough to wake up again. There is nothing we can do for him right now."

Tears are running down my face when the doctor continues to tell me about Michael´s condition. "How good are the chances that he will wake up again?"

"A lot of people wake up after weeks in a coma, Ms. Deluca. So we have to be patient and see if his body is still strong enough to recover."

"I wanna see him," I tell him, making it clear that it's not a question.

He nods. "I was already informed that you are his girlfriend, so it shouldn´t be a problem. But first you need to rest a little more."

"No," I shake my head wildly, "I have to see him, I need to see him, Doc. I can't wait."

"Okay, here is my suggestion: The nurse will stop by to give you something for dinner. I´ll tell her to bring you to him after you've eaten something. How about that?"

I nod. "Okay."

"Fine. Can you tell me the name of your parents or their telephone number? We weren't able to find anyone in your family besides your cousin."

"Sean? Is he here?" I ask, puzzled.

"He was here. But he had to go to the police department again. He has to answer more questions about Billy and the kidnapping, but he won´t be arrested 'cause he went to the police and told them where you were," Liz says.

"I... um, there is no one in my family you need to call, Doc."

He looks at me surprised. "No?"

Max steps up next to him. "We are her family, Dr. Gellar. And we're all here as you can see."

"Okay, then don't stay too long, she needs some rest. If everything goes well, you can take her home tomorrow."

"Did you hear that, Maria? You can come home with us soon!" Liz smiles and hugs me.

"Yeah," I answer absently.

_Home… what would home be if Michael wasn't there?_


End file.
